Strength for His Soul Book Two
by torrick
Summary: Nessie and her family must rescue Jacob from the Volturi...but the Volturi are not the only threat to Nessie's and Jacob's life. 'Strength' is the second installment of a trilogy, beginning with 'Desires of the Heart' by torrick. Book 2 is a bit darker.
1. Chapter 1 Betrayal

A/N: Thanks to Stephenie Meyer for the wonderful world of Twilight.

Chapter 1 – Betrayal

RPOV

"Seth, can you drop me off at Billy's and then take Quil home?" I didn't know what I was going to say to Billy yet, but I needed to be by myself when I talked to Jacob's father.

"Nessie, I don't – " I interrupted Seth.

"Seth, I have loved you as a brother from the moment I met you. I am touched that you don't want me to go through this alone, but I truly need to do this on my own."

Seth pulled up in front of Billy's house. Before I opened the door on my side of the car, I felt a large, warm hand on my shoulder.

"Nessie…are you sure?" I patted Quil's hand.

I took what small bit of comfort they gave me and stepped out of the car. I knocked on the door and heard Billy yell, "It's open. Come on in."

I took a deep breath and stopped in the house. I heard the TV, so I knew where Billy would be. I shut the door behind me and walked into the living room. Billy was in his wheelchair watching golf.

"Hey, Nessie! Is Jacob with you?" Billy was craning his neck, trying to look around me. Billy gave up trying to find Jacob and looked at me. I still hadn't said anything.

Billy softened his voice when he spoke again. "Nessie? Sweetie, sit here on the couch and tell me what's happened."

I sat down but couldn't find the words to tell Billy what had happened. How could I tell him that we had lost our Jacob? How should I tell Billy that our Jacob was being tortured?

I couldn't look at Billy's face. "Billy, I am so sorry…" I leaned closer to Billy so I could touch his face. I couldn't bring myself to talk about Jacob, because the raw pain in my soul had stolen my verbosity. I felt Billy stiffen at first; Jacob had told Billy that I could communicate through touch, but I hadn't ever touched Billy this way before.

I started at the very beginning – the bikini incident all the way through the point of Jacob disappearing. I didn't just give Billy images of what happened – I allowed Billy to "feel" the emotions that Jacob and I had shared – the irritation at Justin, excitement about discovering Jacob and I could talk when he was in his wolf form, the love that Jacob and I had finally discovered, my feelings of being completely safe and content in his arms…I showed Billy Jacob proposing to me and how much joy filled me and Jake as we exchanged promises to each other. I ended my communion with Billy by letting him feel my heart being ripped away from me. I pulled my hand from Billy's face and looked in his eyes. I waited for an angry outburst from Billy; after all, I had cost Billy his son.

"Billy, I am so sorry! I should never have been in his life. He would be safe at home if he didn't feel he had to protect me. I am so sorry."

I hadn't realized that I was crying until I felt Billy softly brush the tears off my face. "Nessie, Jacob was right where he wanted to be! Jacob loves you so much! I have never seen him so happy as when he left to ask you to marry him. Jacob once told me that knowing you love him gives him strength he didn't realize he had. Nessie, do you know how much Jacob loves you? Let his love for you be a source of strength for you." Billy's face soon lit up with a huge smile. "Let me see the ring."

I smiled and showed him my ring finger as Billy took my hand and looked closely at the ring. "Billy, it is so beautiful!"

"Did Jacob tell you about the ring?"

I nodded. "He told me that his grandfather was a strong wolf, but the grandfather knew his strength came from Jacob's grandmother."

"You are Jacob's strength. He will have the strength to fight his kidnappers, because he knows that you love and need him." I felt a little better than I had when I walked into the house. "So, Nessie, tell me how we are going to rescue our Jacob?"

"Well, we are getting ready to go to Italy. Poppy Carlisle is going to charter a plane. We will be leaving as soon as Jacob's pack has gotten packed for the trip."

"Wait…I seriously doubt any of them has a passport."

"Uncle Jasper came up with a plan to get the wolves in and out of the US: pet carriers." I was afraid Billy would be upset so I rushed through the explanation. "They wont have to be in pet carriers once we are on the plane."

"Hmmm…It sounds reasonable, I just have a hard time picturing the guys in carriers. Are all the boys going?"

"Actually, I don't know who all is going, Billy. Seth will go…Quil is not well enough to travel yet, so he will stay behind."

"What about Sam's pack?"

"I thought about asking him, but I don't know. I just let Seth handle talking to Sam."

Someone knocked on the door and the phone rang. I had gotten up to answer the phone when Seth came rushing in the house.

"Don't answer it!"

Billy answered Seth, "Hey, Seth. Come on in…and tell me why I can't answer my phone."

I was still walking towards the phone.

"Nessie, don't! You don't understand what is happening."

I looked at Billy and then we both looked at Seth. "OK, so what is happening and why can't I answer the phone?"

"Sam has declared that Jacob could not endure the forced separation between himself and his pack and would die before we could get to him. He says that Jacob is dead and that all of Jacob's pack must join his pack. He is forbidding everyone to leave Jacob where he is. Sam says that Jacob is the one that allowed evil to come to our reservation in the first place. He wants to cleanse the LaPush area of any vampires (and hybrid vampires). He said that if by some miracle Jacob comes back to LaPush, he will be exiled or killed."

I felt as though I had been kicked in the gut. How could Sam do this to Jacob? It didn't make sense. "But Seth, Jacob is the real Alpha…how can Sam get away with killing the Alpha?"

Seth had been walking around the den, looking out of the windows. "Nessie, we have to go now! If Sam finds you, he will kill you."

"But I don't – "

Billy interrupted me. "Nessie, you and Seth go. I will find out about what's going on…just hurry!"

"Oh no! The pack has the house surrounded. How are we going to get out of here?"

"Seth, you are fine…it's me they want. Just go outside and go home. I'll manage to get to the jeep and get out of here."

"Nessie, you don't understand. I refused to go back into Sam's pack and I want to help get him back. Sam is furious. He says that Jacob and me prefer the vampires to our family…more than the tribe…more than the pack. Sam says I am a traitor. He wants me dead, too."

Billy let out a growl when he heard that. "How dare that pup think he can take my son's heritage from him! Sam is way out of line. I will call a council meeting and get Sam tossed out. Who does he think he is?" I had never seen Billy this angry before. "Seth, Nessie, I will draw the pack to the front yard. You guys go out the back way and get off the res as soon as you can."

A loud, angry voice came from outside the house. "Billy Black. I know the traitor is in your house and that the half-breed is in the house as well. Turn them over to us and we wont hurt you Billy. I will give you my word as the alpha that no harm will come to you as long as you do what I say. We only want Seth and Nessie."

"You are not the true alpha. I do not recognize your authority." Billy motioned for me and Seth to come to him and be very quiet. In a soft whisper, he said, "You will have to move quickly to get out of here. Nessie, I love you as if you were my daughter. I know that you will find my son and bring him back home to me. Seth, my son loves you as a brother and I am so happy that he has you. I will tell your mother what has happened here. Keep in touch and let me know when you have Jacob. I'll go now, watch the trees so you will know when the pack leaves the back of the house."

Seth and I nodded to Billy. Billy was starting to leave us when I suddenly put myself between his wheelchair and the front door. "I love you, too. And I promise I will get Jacob soon!" I whispered as I kissed his cheek.

Seth and I crawled to the back door, far enough on the ground so that no one would see us and know we were about to run. We heard Billy calling for the pack to get in the front yard so that he could 'talk' to them. When we couldn't see anyone among the trees, we thought it would be safe to go to the car. We had almost made it when a wolf began to howl. Seth and I both ran as fast as we could. No reason for silence since the wolf pack knew where we were now. The only question was, could Seth and I make it to the jeep before the wolves…


	2. Chapter 2 Taking Flight

Taking Flight

I jumped in the jeep and shut door. Seconds later a giant wolf hit my door and bounced off. Seth climbed in the passenger side and shut the door as I started the car. The jeep was surrounded by wolves.

"Nessie, punch it! If you hit someone, they'll mend, so don't worry."

I nodded, threw the car in drive and floored it. Wolves were jumping out of the way, though a few of the wolves were keeping pace with the jeep.

"Seth, will they stop at the treaty line?"

"I don't know. Sam shouldn't allow it, but then Sam – "

"Shouldn't have taken Jake's pack and shouldn't have forbidden others to rescue Jake and shouldn't have threatened to kill us. Get my phone out of my purse and call Daddy. They need to be prepared."

Seth quickly dialed Daddy, while keeping a close eye on the wolves. They weren't slowing down. "Edward! We are being chased by wolves. Sam wants all of us killed…ok." Seth closed my phone. "Em, Jazz and your Dad are heading this way. They can hear the car."

I was turning on our street when the last two wolves disappeared into the trees. "Seth?"

"I saw it, too. Crap. Where did they go?" Seth was craning his neck trying to look out all of the windows. "Nessie, park in the driveway and don't open the garage door. I'll get out, phase, and then protect you until you can get to the house. Park sideways, the driver's side facing the garage. Wait until I get to you before you get out."

I nodded and pulled in the driveway. Seth jumped out of the car. By the time he was at my door, he was a wolf. I opened my door and heard my Daddy's voice.

"Seth, get her in the house."

I hesitated a moment, afraid for my family. Seth whined and nudged me.

"Go Nessie!" Daddy yelled.

I ran with Seth to the house. Auntie Rosalie and MeeMee Esme were standing on the porch, looking at the surrounding area. They were ready for anything.

When Seth and I made it to the porch, Seth started to run back to be with Daddy. I grabbed his tail before he cleared the porch. "No, Seth! They want to kill you just as much as they want to kill me."

A loud growl ripped from someone on the porch. It didn't sound like Auntie. Me, Seth and Auntie looked at MeeMee. Wow! My kind and gentle grandmother looked ready for a fight – one that she would definitely win.

"Who has threatened both of you? Seth, get in the house and phase. You are not going back out there."

I still had Seth's tail in my hand, my mouth still open. After a few seconds, Seth whined and I let him go. I knew he would do what Esme told him.

"Renesmee! Who threatened you?"

"Sam – " was all I got out when MeeMee jumped off the porch and ran in the same direction that my Dad had gone.

"Auntie…"

"Wow! I have never seen her that mad before. I feel sorry for any wolf stupid enough to be in her path."

Seth walked back out on the porch, pulling on a T-shirt. "Do you think she will be ok? I could never forgive myself if something happened to her."

Jasper came running toward us. As he stepped on the porch, he answered Seth. "Esme will be fine. She is with Edward and Emmett. They'll be here in a few minutes. They were going to circle the property once more. Rose, have you ever seen her like that?"

"No! I've never even heard her say a cross word!"

"So, where are Mom, Alice and Carlisle?"

Auntie answered me. "Bella and Alice went to pick up a few things before we leave. Carlisle went to the office to get his patients taken care of while we're gone."

Jasper was still acting nervous. "Guys, get inside. I would feel better if Nessie and Seth were in the house. Rose, call Bella or Alice and tell them to get here now. I'll wait on the porch and make sure I am not needed."

We stepped in the house and pulled the door closed. Before Rose had a chance to even dial her cell phone, we heard Jasper's cell. "Where are you, Alice?" He stiffened when he listened to Aunt Alice's answer. "Go straight to the airport. We'll be there soon."

I looked at Auntie. She looked as confused as I felt. She flung the front door open.

"Jazz! What is going on?"

"Bella and Alice are being chased by wolves. They are going to meet us at the airport. Lets go."

"Uncle Jazz! We haven't packed and I don't have my passport!"

"We took care of everything while you and Seth were gone, sweetie. Jazz, what car are we taking and can we wait for Emmett and – "

"I'm here baby. So is Edward. Esme is with Carlisle. He caught up with us and she went with him to the airport. The six of us will go in the jeep. Let's go."

We ran to the jeep and got inside as quickly as possible. Auntie Rose closed her door as Uncle Em started the car. None of us spoke…we were all watching for wolves. The silence was broken by Daddy's phone ringing.

"Bella?"

We could all hear Mom answer. "Edward, Alice and I are on the plane. We loaded up everything. As soon as – "

Seth yelped. "Let me out, let me out! I'm going to phase!"

"What the hell – " Emmett started to yell as he slammed on the brakes. The car was spinning when Seth leaped out. He landed as a wolf and took off running.

"Emmett!" screamed Auntie. "The wolves are attacking Carlisle and Esme!"

Ahead of us, I could see Poppy and MeeMee's car on the side of the road. The driver's door had been bashed and MeeMee's door had been ripped off the hinges.

Uncle Emmett started cussing and sped up to knock two of the wolves away from Poppy's car. We could hear the yelping as the wolves flew through the air. Emmett jumped out of the car. "Rosie, get behind the wheel. Get Nessie and Seth to safety."

Jasper got out of the car, picked up Seth and threw him in the jeep. Seth was growling and about to get out when Auntie put the jeep in drive and floored it. I grabbed Seth's tail again, making him stay in the jeep. He whined until Auntie finally spoke to him.

"Seth, I know how worried you are. I am, too. But we need to get you and Nessie on the plane. You can phase once we are on the plane…Alice has extra clothes for you." Auntie's phone rang. "Nessie, see who it is."

I pulled her phone from her purse and checked the ID. "Oh, it's Uncle Em!" I pressed the answer button. "Is everybody ok?"

"Yep! Tell Rosie I kicked all those wolves in the butt…I mean tail."

I could hear Daddy and Jasper begin to argue and I smiled in relief. I could feel the car slow down. Looking out the window I saw a very small airport. It had only four runways…a small jet with an open door and steps leading down to the ground.

"Tell Rosie we are right behind you. We'll see you in a minute."

"Ok." I hung up the phone and put it back in Auntie's purse. "I guess you heard that, right?"

"Yep!" I smiled at her choice of words.

Auntie parked the car. "Get on the plane. We can talk when we're in the air."

The three of us ran to the plane as Poppy parked the car.

A man stood beside the steps of the jet and greeted Auntie. "Ah, Mrs. Cullen…nice to see you again. The plane is fueled, flight plan filed…all you need to do is the final flight check."

"Thank you." The man walked back into the small office at the airport while Auntie ran in the plane.

Poppy, MeeMee, Daddy, Uncle Jazz and Uncle Em were running to the plane. Seth was about to get on the plane when he suddenly stopped and cocked his ear. Then he started growling, more ferocious than I had ever heard. I stood beside him, looking around us.

"Go Seth! I knew the wolves are out there. Just go!" said Daddy.

Daddy was the last onboard. He slammed the door and locked it. He yelled for Rosie to take off.

"I need 10 more minutes for flight checks, Edward."

"Forget them. We have to get off the ground now!"

Auntie started to yell at Daddy, but Uncle Em pointed out the front window. They both started cussing as they got the plane moving.

Auntie yelled back at us. "This is going to be a rough take off. We don't have much room and we can't change runways. Buckle up!"

I was truly afraid. I had never seen my family this worried…even when the Volturi came to Forks. I sat in a seat and buckled my safety belt, as did everyone else.

Seth whined and Daddy stood up. "Sorry, Seth. No time for phasing. Lay on the couch. I'll buckle the seat around your hips and shoulders."

Uncle Em was swearing again. "Guys, when we take off, look down."

I heard Auntie mutter, "_**If**_ we take off…"

Daddy sat down again and buckled up. We could feel the plane speeding up, but we weren't going straight. Auntie was weaving all along the runway. More cussing was going on in the front section of the plane.

"Its ok baby. You're doing great…Crap! It's another one. Rosie, just punch it."

We felt the nose rise, but it quickly came back down. "Em, we are out of runway."

"Quit dodging them! Punch it!"

We felt the plane speed up. We hit a couple of bumps and then we were off the ground. We weren't climbing, though. Auntie and Em were cussing again. I looked out the window and saw our problem: two wolves were holding on to the left wing. Their legs were dragging on the ground.

"Daddy! Look at this!"

Daddy looked out my window. "Rosie, two wolves are dangling on the left wing."

"Ok. I can fix that. Hold on everybody!"

Auntie tipped the right wing just enough to get the wolves off balance. Once the wolves had completely fallen away from the left wing, we started climbing.

"Ok, guys. Look at the ground surrounding the runway." Uncle Em reminded us.

There were at least 20 wolves running to the spot that we had just left.


	3. Chapter 3 La Push

La Push

Emily's POV

I could hear Sam's howl and wondered how much time I had to finish dinner before he got home. Sam had so much anger in him lately…the slightest problem caused Sam to launch into a screaming fit. I just don't understand. Sam had always been so tender and loving to me and the kids…except once a very long time ago when Sam was still learning to control phasing. I have never once doubted Sam's love for me. Even after the accident. I may have the visible scars on my face, but Sam's scars were hidden deep within his heart. I don't think Sam will ever truly forgive himself for the accident.

But lately, Sam has become distant and cold. I know the vampires had angered Sam at first, but when Jacob imprinted on Renesmee, most of the distrust faded. Sam's pack (and the families and imprints of the wolves) had come to like the vampires. And everyone had a soft spot for Esme. How could anyone NOT love Esme? She was so kind to everyone. She made a wonderful second mom for all of us. When my own mother died, it was Esme that reached out to me first. She cried (dry tears, of course) with me over my grief and listened to my memories of my mom. She held me when my grief poured out of my soul. She was my lifeline. Sam had been so relieved that I had someone to lean on when I was still struggling to make it through a day without dissolving into a tear-filled puddle.

I had thought Sam loved Esme as much as I do. I don't understand what has changed. Sam is angry all the time. Asking some of the pack members what was wrong with Sam did me no good. Sam must have gone all Alpha on them and told them not to say anything. A couple of them started to tell me something, but no sound would come out of their mouth! Maybe I should try asking Sam what is wrong…again.

The front door opened and Sam walked into the house. I put a smile on my face and walked to him. The kids were rushing to Sam for hugs and kisses. They made it to him before I did.

"Daddy is home!"

"Daddy home!"

I had thought Sam would be happy to see us after running such a long patrol shift. Instead, Sam was trying to pry the kids' arms from him. "Emily, get these monsters away from me!." His voice was extremely harsh.

My jaw dropped. What is going on with him?! The kids were backing away from their father. Pain and confusion distorted their beautiful little faces. I was more angry now than confused. How dare he hurt our children like that! I no longer cared what was bothering Sam. I could only focus on the faces of my children when their father had been cruel to them.

I decided I would take the kids to Sue's house for a sleepover and then come back and discuss whatever is bothering him.

"Guys, how would you like to spend the night with Auntie Sue?" The kids were jumping up and down as soon as they heart 'Auntie Sue'.

"Can we mommy?"

"Of course! Now, run upstairs and grab your things."

I waited until I heard the kids close their bedroom door. I turned and looked at Sam.

"Sam…"

"Shut up, Bitch. I don't want you nagging me all the time. You can go with them. I wouldn't have to look at your face. Stay there as long as you can."

I walked to the chair where Sam was sitting. I couldn't help but grit my teeth.

"How dare you speak to me like that?! And how could you treat our children like that? What has happened to you? You have never said a cross word to me and now you are calling me a bitch. What is going on with you? I was truly concerned about you until now. You have crossed a line. Don't you ever – "

Sam stood up from his chair and grabbed my upper arms, pinning my arms to my sides. His touch was far from gentle – my arms hurt so badly that I thought they would surely break.

"Sam, please." I managed to choke out through the pain.

"You are a sniveling excuse for a woman. You aren't worth it."

Sam let me go and pushed me away. When I fell down, I couldn't stifle the yelp that came out. Sam grabbed my wrists and forced me to stand.

"Get up, Bitch. You keep quiet about my temper…do you understand?"

"I – "

Sam grabbed a handful of hair and forced me to look up at his face.

"Keep your mouth shut and I might not hurt the kids. Do you understand me? No one would believe you, anyway. I am the alpha. And I have changed my mind. You will not stay with Sue. I don't trust you to keep your mouth shut, so you be sure you get home within 30 minutes." Sam returned to his chair…he didn't look upset at all. No emotion of guilt was on his face. Not even an expression of anger. "Oh, Emily, don't make me hurt you or the kids for being late."

I just stared at Sam until the kids returned to the den. Both of them looked at me, clearly asking if they should hug their father. I shook my head and walked to the door. We walked from the house to the car alone. I buckled the kids in and went to the driver's door.

Then I heard Sam's voice. He had walked out to the porch and was looking intently at me. "Hurry home, Emily."


	4. Chapter 4 The Shock

Jacob POV

I gradually woke up, though I decided to play dead. I wanted to figure out my surroundings and how I had gotten here…wherever here is. And I really wanted to know who had taken me from Nessie.

I remember Justin touching Nessie and me separating him from her. I remember running along the ground and looking up at the grass tips. An unusually tall grasshopper was eyeing me. I guess that Justin had changed both of us into ants or something like that. When we were far enough from Nessie and the Cullens, Justin turned us into some kind of bird. I've never done drugs, but this memory sounded like a hallucination.

I couldn't change back to human or to wolf. Whether Justin was able to block me from phasing or my body couldn't figure out what to do, I don't know. I still hadn't opened my eyes. I used my other senses to try and figure out where (and WHAT) I am. The air was damp and stale. And the smell! Holy Crap! I hadn't smelled this high concentration of vampire smell since the time that the Volturi guard came to Forks. My mind was finally working. I knew where I was! Volterra.

I opened my eyes a tiny bit. The room was hidden in a thick darkness. I couldn't see anything more than an inch from my face. I waved my fingers in front of my face. Thankfully my hand and arm were human. No feathers or fins.

The silence was interrupted by the sound of heavy locks dragging against the wood. I closed my eyes and pretended to be unconscious.

An increase in the smell let me know a vampire had opened the door. I heard footsteps coming closer to me. The steps stopped close to my head and the person sat on their knees. A small, ice-cold hand stroked my face tenderly…almost lovingly.

"My precious Jacob! You are so beautiful…I can't bear the thought of losing you. I promise I won't let them hurt you more than necessary. You are so beautiful. I don't want your face or your body to be disfigured."

Her hand caressed my face and chest. She was so cold! It was all I could do to keep from flinching.

"We will be together forever."

As she was finishing her promises of love, the door opened again. Jane straightened up and put her hands in her lap. My eyes were still closed, but I quickly found out who had joined us.

"Jane! I should have known you would be here. I hope you haven't tortured him yet. I want him to answer questions and I don't want his mind fuzzy because of pain."

"I know that, Aro. I haven't done anything to him."

Another person walked in the room and stopped at my head.

"**Yet**, Jane. You haven't done anything to him **yet**. Let's get this started. I want to get away from his smell."

"Patience Caius. We need answers first. Or at least give him a reason to want to answer our questions next time we visit. Jane, wake him up."

I remembered Jane's power from when the Volturi showed up in Forks not long after Nessie had been born. She could send electric shocks through her victim's body. I steeled myself and waited. But instead of shocking me, she touched my face again.

"Jacob? It's time for you to wake."

I mumbled a bit and gradually began moving. I didn't want the three of them to figure out I was awake before now. I felt Jane's other hand touch my shoulder. If I didn't know better, I would swear she was being…tender.

"Jacob, please wake now."

"What the hell kind of wakeup call was that?" Caius snarled. "I meant for you to zap him a bit. He's not a pet! He is a pawn…a tool that we will use to benefit us. Just get him awake."

_Holy Crap! _I opened my eyes and looked at my surroundings. I was in a small room with walls made of stone. A large wooden door at the front of the room seemed to be the only means of escape. The back wall served as a backdrop to an ancient torture device – a body stretcher. The wall to the right of the stretcher was decorated by a metal box that reminded me of an Egyptian sarcophagus. An image of a woman's head was at the top of the thing. Across from this wall were great iron chains with clasps for the wrists and ankles. In the middle of the floor was a drainage hole. Another quick glance around the room confirmed my worst suspicions. There was no source of water in the room that would need draining. However, the torture devices and torture treatments would surely cause victims to bleed. The drainage hole was necessary to clean blood out of the room.

"Where am I?" I managed to croak. I knew where we were; I just needed to buy more time. Hmm…more time for what? I certainly had no ideas on how to escape. Jane's hands were still on me as I struggled to sit up. She let her hands slide down my body until I was sitting up straight.

"Easy Jacob." She purred. "You've been unconscious for quite a while. You will probably be dizzy and sick at your stomach for several more hours."

"Hush Jane! We don't have to be nice to him." Caius snapped.

Aro interrupted them. "Both of you shut up!" He glared at Jane and Caius before looking at me. "Now, Jacob…we have a few questions for you, as well as a small assignment. And when we are all through, we are going to make you one of the most powerful men in the world. But before we do this for you, we need you to answer a few questions. Tell me, how is Renesmee? Has she acquired any other powers? And the mother…has her shield increased in power?"

I kept my mouth shut. I knew that Aro would want both of them to live here in Italy and serve as part of the guard. Nessie and Bella's powers would be quite useful against any threats to Aro's power.

Caius was angered by my silence. He kicked me in the ribs, breaking at least two of them. "Answer him now!"

I looked at Aro and answered. "Jacob Black, Alpha, Fruit Loops."

"What?" Jane and Caius asked in unison.

Aro laughed. "He is giving us his name, rank and cereal, as in the food. There is a long standing rule in many military outfits that if you are taken prisoner, you are to give your name, rank and serial number." Aro turned back to me. "I am delighted that you haven't lost your sense of humor. But for now, I need you to focus on my questions and answer truthfully. I need to know everything about the Cullens and those that stood by them when we went to Forks to see Nessie. You will give us all the information we want and then we will make you the Alpha of –"

I interrupted him. "So, let me get this straight. You kidnap me and members of my pack and you think I am going to help you? I have no idea what you have done with them. If you want me to answer any questions, bring me my people and I will think about helping you."

Caius slapped my face so hard he broke my jaw. "How _**dare **_you answer Aro like that! He was about to slap me again when Aro caught his arm.

"Enough! I will bring your friends to you. You can have a few minutes alone with them before we begin asking more questions. As a matter of fact, we will let them stay in this room with you. I think that would make you more willing to answer questions…" Aro smiled at me and left with Caius.

I had a sneaky suspicion that I would regret having Leah and Embry in this room. What if they were tortured and I had to watch? I couldn't let that happen.

Jane knelt down beside me and felt of my jaw. "Jacob, do you hurt? You are already healing. I am so sorry that Caius did that to you. Please don't upset Caius or Aro again. Caius is furious about the plans that Aro has for you. He thinks Aro is wasting his time." She paused before continuing. "Were you there that day? When we were in Forks?"

I turned my head and looked into Jane's eyes. They were a deep red. I knew who she was and what she was capable of doing, so why in the world would she be nice to me?

"Yes, I was there. I was in wolf form."

"Were you beside Bella?"

"Yes. Why?" My jaw was starting to heal. The pain was subsiding.

"You were beautiful. I wanted to know what you looked like in human form. I knew you would be just as beautiful in human form as you are when you are a wolf. When Aro and Caius come back, I will have to leave you for a while. But I will come back as soon as I can." Jane pulled my hair away from my face and smiled. Very quietly she added, "My precious Jacob."

Jane quickly stood up as the door opened and Aro walked in the room. "Jacob, we will leave you with your friends for a bit. I suggest you be prepared to answer our questions when we get back. I would hate for anything to happen to them. Jane, let's go."

Jane stood and walked to the door. She and Aro walked out but left the door open. Leah and Embry walked into the chamber! I was so relieved! I started to say something, but Embry shook his head. Another person was walking through the door, carrying a torch. The torchlight flickered on his face: Sam Uley.


	5. Chapter 5 Iron Maiden

Chapter 5

The Iron Maiden

Jacob POV

Without saying a word, I stepped back and phased. The other three followed suit. I was immediately aware of an enormous outpouring of love and concern between Leah and Embry. How had I missed their feelings?

Both Embry and Leah looked at me and laughed before Leah answered my question. _'Nessie told me a couple of tricks she uses with her dad. She kept you from phasing for a couple of days and we worked with Edward. We figured if we could hide it from him, we could hide it from you.'_

'Guys, I'm happy for both of you! I wouldn't have split you up. I am really glad that you have each other…especially now.'

Embry moved closer to Leah and nuzzled her. Leah closed her eyes and I felt love radiating off of both of them. I waited a few seconds and then cleared my throat.

'For now, lets focus on our situation. Leah, Embry, have you guys been in the same cell?'

'_No, we didn't see each other until today. But I knew she was here when I phased.'_ Embry continued to nuzzle Leah while she spoke. Suddenly Leah winced and Embry growled fiercely. I got up to see what was wrong.

'_Who did this to you?'_

'_Embry, it doesn't matter. I'm fine.'_

'_Like hell you're fine!' _I snarled as Sam and Embry growled. _'What happened?'_

'_When the fake janitor caught me freeing Quil, he grabbed me by the neck. He didn't let go until he threw me in a cell here. When I hit the ground I felt my shoulder pop out of its socket. I tried slamming my shoulder against the wall in an effort to pop it back into place, but all I succeeded in was scrapping my shoulder and arm.'_

'_Sam, Embry, where you guys conscious when you were brought here?'_

I was instantly aware of images of Sam and Embry waking up in their cells. Leah was the only one of us that had been awake when she got here. _'Leah, how did you get here?'_

A confusing jumble of images hit me at once. I shook my head trying to make sense of it…that didn't help at all. _'I don't understand.'_

'_I don't either, Jake. Part of the time we were like…tornadoes. Then, we turned into some kind of fish. And, by the way, I will never go cliff diving again! Then we were some kind of bird once we made it to Italy. We flew until we made it to this…this…whatever this place is. We landed on the roof and then walked down a zillion stairs until we came to my cell. You guys were unconscious the whole way here?'_

Embry and I both nodded and I told Embry and Leah that Sam had been unconscious.

'_Ok. Let me get Sam up to speed.' _

I turned to Sam to speak, but he stopped me. _'I heard, Jacob.'_

Embry and Leah looked at Sam and then looked at me. They had heard Sam's thoughts!

'Sam – '

'Jacob, you are the true Alpha of our tribe. We both know it. I know you have never tried to assert that right over my pack, but you have every right to do so. I was meant to be a leader within our pack, but not the Alpha. We have an enemy that I do not fully understand…but you do understand them. And not just because you practically live with the Cullens. It is because you have the wisdom and experience of your ancestor Ephraim Black. I will not split our tribe any longer.'

'_Sam, I would never ask this of you.'_

'_I know, Jacob. But I relinquish my position to the tribe's true Alpha.'_

'_I appreciate what you have said and your willingness to fold into my pack. I have no doubt that there will be many times that I will seek counsel with you.'_ I paused only for a second before changing subjects. _'First order of business: as soon as we phase, I'll fix your arm Leah. Embry, I will need you to hold her hand and keep her calm. Leah, you will not be able to make any noise. I don't want the Volturi to know that we can communicate in our minds. Keep your arm folded close to your body for at least two hours.'_

I could sense Embry's uneasiness. _'Are you sure you can do this?'_

I answered Embry, but I looked at Leah. _'Leah, I haven't ever done this before, but Carlisle has had to put my shoulder back in many, many times. I am sure that I can do it correctly, but I wont even attempt it unless you are sure you want me to fix it.'_

'_I trust you. Embry, I'll be fine because you will be right here with me.'_ Leah started nuzzling Embry's neck.

'Ok. No talking when we are in human form. From the looks of this room, our stay here will be less than enjoyable. It appears that torture will be the bloodsuckers' ways to get info from us. Do not supply accurate information to these bloodsuckers. Hopefully, I will be the only one tortured. You three watch for definable patterns – meal times, guard shifts, any movements. Listen carefully to every conversation. See if you can figure out why we are here. Next time we are together as wolves, we'll formulate some type of plan of escape. For now, phase back to human. We probably don't have much time. Leah, I will be putting my heel in the pit of your arm and then I'll pop your shoulder back. Oh, guys…don't act like you are a couple. That could be used against us. Ok. Let's do it.'

While I fixed Leah's shoulder, Embry held her hand and placed his face at her neck. Embry whispered in Leah's ear, trying to assure her she would be ok. I think it hurt him more than her. I folded Leah's arm and held up two fingers just as a reminder for her. She nodded. The four of us sat quietly and waited.

Our wait was quite short. Jane came in, followed by three guards.

"Take the three and return them to their own cells." Jane ordered. Once the room had cleared out and the door shut, Jane brushed the hair out of my eyes. "Oh Jacob! Aro is going to put you in the Iron Maiden!"

"The what?"

"The Iron Maiden. Try to be still when you are inside. It wont hurt as bad. I will come check on you after Aro gets you out of the Maiden. He was going to leave you in there for two days, but I talked him out of it." Jane caressed my face with her hand. "You are beautiful."

Jane quickly stood while Aro and Caius opened the door and walked into my cell. Aro reached for Jane, but she quickly stepped away from him. I understood why Jane avoided Aro's grasp: He would know that Jane had a soft spot for me. I almost laughed out loud at that. A full _vampire_ being infatuated with a _dog._ What would Blondie think?

The sound of Aro's voice brought me back to more urgent matters. "So, we will be putting you in the Iron Maiden for a few hours. Then we'll talk again."

Members of the guard walked in the cell and drug me to the metal box. Caius opened the door and revealed hundreds of iron spikes on the inside front and back piece. Though I kept my face passive, on the inside I was beginning to cringe.

"It will be interesting to see whether the healing power inside you will close around the spikes after prolonged exposure. Very interesting." Caius smiled.

I managed to get my arm away from one of the guards and punched Caius in the face. He flew through the air, crashing against the far wall. Caius was standing up, preparing to punish me with a blow of his own.

"Enough!" yelled Aro. "Throw him in the Maiden. You will be inside her for 10 hours now. I had only planned for five hours, but you must learn respect for your owners. You are just a dog." With that, Aro slammed the door and bolted it shut.

I couldn't help myself – I screamed in agony as the spikes tore through my body.

Author's Note: I need to slightly change history – I am so sorry! In the Epilogue that I included with Desire's of the Heart, I wrote that Jacob had been inside the Iron Maiden. His time in the Iron Maiden has been cut short in an effort to marry up the passage of time between Jacob & Co. and the Cullens. Sorry for the correction. Also: I apologize for not being more timely in posting chapters. I have been looking for a job and it has taken time away from my writings. Please read and review. Thanks…


	6. Chapter 6 Dream of a Horrible Reality

NPOV

The room was dark and I couldn't see anything. I felt…alone…forgotten and in pain. The pain was growing more intense with each breath. How did I get here? It is hard to breathe now. The pain is excruciating. Why am I in pain? My eyes had adjusted to the darkness and I was able to make out a shape. I looked down at my body, but it wasn't my body I was looking at. It was

"Jacob! My Jacob!"

"Nessie! Nessie, wake up!" I could feel my Daddy's hands on my shoulders. Why wasn't he helping Jacob? "Nessie!"

I finally realized I had only been dreaming. I forced myself to open my eyes. My whole family was watching me, concern etched on every face.

"Daddy!" I screamed and fell into my father's arms. I was crying so hard, I couldn't even raise my hand to Daddy's face. All I could think of was my Jacob being in pain.

I felt Daddy raise my palm to his cheek. My thoughts quickly returned to my Jacob. Why is he being tortured? I felt my other hand being placed on someone else's face.

"Jasper…" Dad spoke softly and I was at once calm, though I kept my head buried in Daddy's chest. I watched my dream again and felt panic and pain rise again. Daddy slid to his knees and groaned…the other witness to my dream slid to the ground as well and began sobbing.

Soon a peace settled over the three of us, though we didn't move. I still felt Jacob's pain, but it didn't cripple me as it had before.

Mom placed her hand on Daddy's shoulder. "Edward? What happened?" Daddy shook his head. He still wasn't ready to talk.

"Bella…it's Jacob." whispered Auntie Rose.

I broke down and began crying again. I felt Jacob's pain on a much more intense level than anything I had ever experienced in my own life. If only I could hold him in my arms. Does he think we wont come for him? If I were with him, I would tell him we were coming and that all of us loved him. The plane had grown quiet, except for the sounds of hearts breaking and tears over flowing. I suppose that Uncle Jazz was heartsick, too, because no peace or calm washed over us.

"Nessie? Why can't you?" asked Daddy.

"Why can't I what?"

"Talk to Jacob! Seth, have you guys gone further than 300 miles and still been able to talk?"

"No. There hasn't been a need."

"Seth, I hate to ask you this, but can you be a wolf for the rest of the trip? We need to know as soon as possible when you feel his presence so Nessie can talk to him." Daddy explained.

"Sure." Before Seth left the family huddle, he picked up my hand. "Nessie, we will find our Jacob."

I nodded. I didn't trust my voice to speak without crying. Seth walked to the bathroom to change.

"Rose – " I gasped when I heard Daddy say her name.

"Auntie! What are you doing back here? Who is flying the plane?"

"It's ok, Ness. Emmett is flying. When I heard you scream, I had to check on you." Auntie Rose brushed the hair out of my face and kissed my forehead. "I better get back to the cockpit, though. Knowing Em, he'll start barrel rolling. I love you, Sweetie!" Auntie kissed me on the forehead once more and made her way to Emmett.

"Barrel rolling! Lets do it!" Uncle Em yelled.

"NO!" everyone answered. The single word reverberated through the plane

"Oh man." Emmett was about to complain but Auntie shut the door of the cockpit and we didn't hear another peep.

Daddy groaned and rolled his eyes. "The cockpit will be off limits for a while. I hope the plane is still in one piece-"

His voice trailed off as MeeMee jumped up and rushed to the door. She hit the door with her fist twice, leaving a dent in the door. "You two cut it out now. There is not time for sex! And we certainly don't have time to land and make any repairs from whatever damage you two cause. We need to reach Jacob quickly. Now open this door!"

Every one of us was dumbfounded (and silent) when Esme spoke and demanded something. MeeMee was such a gentle person! As I looked at the faces of my family, I realized we were all stunned! I looked at Daddy and thought, _I feel sorry for the vampire that gets in the way of MeeMee rescuing Jacob_! He smiled and nodded.

The door to the cockpit opened up as Emmett stepped through. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'll behave I promise." Emmett said as he closed the door.

"Em, I want to see Rosalie, too. I want to make sure you both understand that we have no time for stupidity."

"Actually, I kinda ripped her clothes…"

Aunt Alice opened a closet and pulled out extra clothes and handed them to Uncle Emmett. "Thanks little sister!" He started to go back into the cockpit, but MeeMee stopped him. "Emmett, I know that you cannot possibly be trusted to hand Rosalie something to cover up her body. Hand them to me."

Emmett stepped away and whined, "But Esme – "

"No, buts!" said MeeMee as she took the clothes. "I will give them to Rosalie." MeeMee walked to the cockpit and knocked softly. Rosalie answered the door. "I'm sorry, Mom."

MeeMee sighed. "It's ok. Just remember we are on a rescue mission and keep your hands to yourself." Auntie took the clothes and shut the door as MeeMee turned to Emmett. "And you keep your hands to yourself." Uncle Em looked like a little child whose toy had just been taken from him.

MeeMee sat back down as Poppy was pulling out some papers. "I have drawn up a rough sketching of the Volturi's castle. It has been many, many years since I have been in the castle, so my knowledge may be incorrect, particularly if any additions or renovations have been made. I think we should go to the conference room and figure out a rescue plan."

By the time we had made it to the conference room, Seth was sitting in one of the chairs with his paws on the table. As we poured over the plans I realized how difficult this was going to be. The castle had so many rooms, hallways, and secret passages…how would we ever find my Jacob?

Our best hope was that the Volturi had not made any changes to the castles since Poppy had lived there. Poppy showed us several "rooms" that were buried far beneath the castle. These rooms were used solely for torture and Poppy had only been to these rooms once. He had been horrified by what Aro's, Caius', and Marcus' enjoyment of watching people suffer.

Poppy was pointing out several different ways that we might be able to get into these "rooms" when Seth whined and looked at Daddy.

After a few seconds, Daddy looked at me. "Nessie, Seth can feel a wolf, though he doesn't know if it is Jacob because the wolf is not speaking. Try talking to Jacob. If we can find out any information on what is happening, it might be easier to save Jacob, Leah and Embry."

"Ok, Daddy." I went back to my seat and left the others to discuss the rescue mission. I focused on Jacob…how he looked and smelled. How his eyes sparkled when he looked at me. But mostly, I thought about how much we loved each other.

Jacob POV

I sat against a stone wall, blood pouring from small holes all over my body. Supposedly, I had only been inside the "Iron Maiden" for 10 hours. I felt that I had been in there for a much longer period of time. A week ago, I had never even heard of an 'Iron Maiden'. Now I was certain I would never forget it.

'The Iron Maiden' was basically a casket with double doors designed to entomb a person. The person would be shut in the 'Iron Maiden', allowing the 'Maiden's' iron spokes to pierce the flesh of the Maiden's victim, leaving them to slowly bleed out

The 'Iron Maiden' had initially been quite painful, but because my body healed quickly…the 'Iron Maiden's' spikes had become part of my flesh. I had known I would be in agony when I was finally taken out of the torture contraption, but I was still surprised at the depth of pain I was experiencing.

I looked down at his body. Blood and flesh were still oozing from every hole made by the spikes of the 'Iron Maiden', creating a blood pool around me. In the center of the room was a drain. For a few seconds I wondered why a drain would be in the room…but I quickly realized the drain's purpose: it served as a way for all the blood the prisoners would be losing. I watched my blood pool becoming a blood river, rushing to the drain.

Two cloaked figures approached me. "Aro, you don't think he'll die, do you?" Caius sounded angry at the prospect.

"No, I don't think so." Aro reached down and yanked my hair, forcing me to look at him. My face began gushing blood again. "I will let you sit here for a few hours and then we'll question you again. I am sure that you will tell me everything I want to know about the Cullens. Unless you enjoyed your stay in the 'Iron Maiden'."

"Actually, Jane wanted to play with him for a bit."

Aro and Caius laughed as they walked out of the room, talking about ways to further inflict pain on me.

When I heard the lock close on the door to my cell, I sat up. A moan escaped my lips as I tried to stand. I knew that I needed to phase and check on my fellow wolf prisoners, regardless of the pain I felt. Unfortunately, the pain prevented me from being able to focus on phasing. It took me two tries before I was able to phase.

I had only been a werewolf for a few seconds when I heard the most beautiful sound in the world!

"Jacob? Can you hear me? Jacob, it's Nessie!"

"Nessie…" was all Jacob could think before passing out.


	7. Chapter 7 Almost Together

A/N: This later portion of this chapter switches from the plane carrying the Cullens and Seth to Volterra. The very last segment is a bridge of sorts – all sides speak freely and are not trapped by geography. I would appreciate reviews…

Plane

NPOV

I was getting discouraged. I must have called Jacob's name for the last 15 minutes with no response. I decided that after I made one final attempt to contact Jacob, I would go back to the conference room and my family and wait 10 minutes before trying again.

'_Jacob? Can you hear me? Jacob, it's Nessie.'_

I stood up and walked to the door leading to the conference room, but stopped abruptly when I heard the sweet, sexy sound of my Jacob: _'Nessie…'_

'_Jacob! I am coming for you! Where are you? What are they doing to you?'_

Silence was my only answer.

'_Jake? Can you hear me?!'_

The door opened and my family rushed in the cabin where I was sitting. I turned to look at my father, new tears threatened to fall. "Daddy…"

"Nessie, Seth said that Jake is still in wolf form."

"Then why wont he answer me?"

"He could be asleep or…or…passed out."

I sat back down. What were the Volturi doing to my Jacob?

Volterra

JPOV

The sound of the locks being turned woke me up. I was hoping that my three pack members would be the only visitors to my cell, though I didn't have much hope for that.

A cold hand touched my shoulder before stroking my fur. "Oh my precious Jacob! Look at you! I brought a cloth to try and clean your wounds but I can't see them clearly. Why did you phase? I could have helped more if you were in the form of a man. Your fur is getting tangled." Jane continued to stroke my fur. "Next time I come, I will bring a brush."

I opened one eye and looked at Jane. If I thought I could move without losing more blood and flesh, I would have recoiled from her touch. As it was, I didn't have the strength to even move my head so that I wouldn't have to look at her. She reached my left ear and tried to stroke softly. But that area of my body was missing quite a bit of flesh – it had been ripped from my body when I was taken out of the 'Maiden'. I yelped and Jane withdrew her hand.

Aro walked in the cell as I yelped. "Jane, I told you to wait. I don't want him hurt to badly. We need him. Get out."

Jane looked at my eyes and slowly stood up. I heard her footsteps as she went to the door. She did not close the door behind her…Maybe my pack will come, after all.

NPOV

"Nessie," my father spoke softly to me. "Look through Jacob's eyes and tell me what you see."

"Aro has Jacob in a dark room. Jane was with Jake…he is confused about Jane. Seth, do you know what is going on?"

After a minute, Daddy answered. "Seth said he doesn't understand it, either. He is seeing the same thing you are. Seth thinks Jacob must be concentrating on Jane and what is happening. It doesn't feel like a memory…Ew…Seth, you can't be serious!"

I was still watching Jane from Jacob's eyes. I was getting angry at the little slut. "She better get her hands off of him!" I couldn't help yelling, even though I knew Jane couldn't hear. How dare she touch my Jacob! I watched as Jane put her head closer to Jacob's ear. "That bitch!" I yelled.

Daddy shuddered and Seth made noises like he was hacking up a fur ball.

Poppy's voice sounded urgent. "Edward! Is Jane hurting Jacob?"

Snarls filled the cabin before Daddy answered. "No, not exactly. She's…she's.."

"She is what, Edward?" MeeMee's voice echoed the worry on her face.

Daddy shuddered again before he spoke. "I think she is in love with Jacob."

No one spoke for a couple of minutes. I looked at Daddy and wondered if everyone had understood him. Daddy nodded.

After another minute of silence, Uncle Em started laughing. "The pup has a new woman! Bet he gets his battery "charged" by her. Their love must be "electrifying". I bet –"

"Shut it!" I yelled.

"Yes, Emmett. Shut it." MeeMee's tone shushed Emmett immediately. "This could be quite dangerous. Especially if she is obsessive over Jacob."

I looked at my Mom. She had sat by my father and was leaning on his shoulder. "You should have seen her touching Jacob, Mom! It was very tender. I think that is why Jacob is confused. He knows that Jane is capable of such violence, but she is being quite gentle with him…Seth?"

Seth had sat straight up, a low growl rumbling in his chest.

JPOV

I heard the shuffling of feet and looked up. Embry, Leah and Sam stood around me. I must look like crap because Leah bit her lip and began crying silently.

"I will give you 15 minutes together. After that, I have a special meeting planned for you." Aro walked to the door as if to leave, but turned and looked at me. "By the way, it wont be you going into the 'Iron Maiden' next. It will be the girl."

Embry instantly snarled and stood in front of Leah. Sam reacted in the same manner only seconds after Embry.

Though I was exhausted from the pain, when Leah was threatened, I quickly got to my feet and jumped over Leah, Embry and Sam. No one would threaten my pack! I snarled and began circling Aro. With each circle, I was forcing Aro to step closer to the door. Fear showed on Afro's face as he backed away. When I was satisfied with the distance between Aro and my pack, I sat down. I did not relax my snarl. I maintained a protective stance, daring Aro to come closer.

Aro's faced soon changed from fear to excitement. "Caius! Jane!"

"Aro? We heard the dogs –" Caius began as he and Jane stepped into the cell. "Wow! How did it happen? He's even bigger. Has his strength increased?"

I hadn't noticed any physical changes. I had no idea what they were talking about. Until Jane walked over to me. When I had met Jane several years ago, I came to her shoulder when I was seated. But now! Now I looked down at her when sitting.

"Sweet Jacob." She murmured as she reached to stroke my shoulder.

"Jane!" Aro shouted. "Don't play with him. I will test him soon and I think it will go better for him if the dog isn't hurt."

Jane's hand still hovered over my shoulder but she quickly changed course and felt of my ear. "I noticed his ear was bleeding earlier and I just wanted to know if the transformation caused him to heal."

"Oh. Alright, then. check on it. And then lets go…they stink."

Jane caressed my ear and smiled as she touched the healed flesh. She stood and walked to the door, again avoiding Aro. "He is fine now." With that, she left.

Aro clapped his hands together. He then reached his hand around Caius' shoulder and left the room. "I knew this would work! We just needed the right stimulus. If we have problems with him, we could always – "

I couldn't hear his next words. They could always what? I stood up, about to follow, when the door shut. By the time I had turned to look at Embry, Leah and Sam, I realized that I was in a room of talkative wolves.

Embry's comments reached me first_. 'Dude! You are huge! You grew as you jumped over us!'_

'_Did you feel differently when you were protecting Leah?'_

I had to think about Sam's question for a few minutes. _'I didn't really…I don't know, actually. I remember thinking that my pack was in danger. I let myself flow with instinct and not conscious thought.' _

Leah stopped nuzzling Embry long enough to talk_. 'It was pretty cool seeing Aro that scared.'_

We all snickered until Leah quickly stood up. _'Seth?!'_

Plane

Seth stood up and barked three short, sharp yaps. We knew from his excitement that he had been able to contact either Jacob or Leah.

'_Leah? Can you hear me?'_

Volterra

'_Seth? Where are you?'_

Plane

'_On our way to rescue you!'_

Daddy spoke excitedly. "Seth is talking to Leah! Nessie, try talking to Jake again."

Volterra & Plane

'_Guys!'_ Leah began excitedly, _'Can you hear Seth?'_

We all shook our heads.

'_I guess I can hear him because he is my brother. He says they are almost to Italy!'_

Maybe I really did hear Nessie's voice earlier! Maybe it wasn't an hallucination!

'_Nessie? Is it really you? I was afraid I would never see or hear you again!'_

'_Jake! You are my soul. I could not live without you. We had to rescue you! I love you!'_

'_I love you, too, Ness. But you shouldn't have come. It is to dangerous.'_

Before she could stop herself, Nessie muttered that it wasn't exactly safe in Fork's either. Sam's betrayal was still a vivid memory for her.

'Sam's betrayal? Nessie, what are you talking about?'


	8. Chapter 8 Fear in La Push

Chapter 8 – La Push

Billy's POV

I pulled my oatmeal from the microwave and sat my bowl on the table. I could see the sun rising through the window in the den. Thankfully, the long night had ended.

I still hadn't processed everything that happened. What in the world was going on with Sam? His violent behavior is so uncharacteristic. Has he become addicted to power, willing to sit by and wait for Jacob to die so that he will 'inherit' Jacob's position? He cannot steal my Jacob's birthright. Jacob is the true Alpha. Jacob is the grandson of Ephraim Black – not Sam. I will go to the council today. They know the tribe's history. The council will not stand for Sam's blatant disregard for heritage and brotherhood.

The phone ringing interrupted my silent ranting. I reached in my pocket and pulled out the phone. Before I could say hello, I heard Quil whispering.

"Don't say anything, just listen. I need you to call my house and tell me you want to come check on me. Tell me you want to make sure I am ok. No one can know I contacted you first." He hung up immediately.

I turned my phone off and placed it on the table. I stared at the phone as if it were going to tell me what was wrong with Quil. How long should I wait to call? A quick glance at the microwave told me the time was way to early to make phone calls. I would wait until 800a and then call.

I had just dug my spoon into my oatmeal when I heard steps on my front porch. An eerie feeling swept over me. Danger had invaded the reservation from every direction and now it appeared to be threatening my home. I looked around the kitchen for some type of weapon. I was dimly aware that this was the only time in my life that I had felt this fear…And to feel this way in my own home was maddening.

I slowly wheeled back from the table. I was torn between staying in my chair and being a more obvious target or sliding off my chair and trying to hide. But what if I couldn't get back up on my chair? Or, even worse, what if Sam came in and I had to crawl to get away from him?

I decided to stay in my chair. I reached behind me and opened a drawer. I quietly felt for a knife as my front door opened. I finally grasped a handle as light footsteps made their way to my den. I grabbed the object and yelled, "Stop!"

A petite gasp let me know I had a female intruder. I tightened my grip on my weapon as the woman turned around.

"Daddy!" Rachel slunk to the floor. Both of us tried to steady our breathing.

"Rachel! Why are you sneaking in the house? You scared me to death! I could have hurt you!"

Rachel smiled before she answered. "With a measuring cup?"

I looked at my hand for the first time and saw that I was, indeed, holding a measuring cup. I smiled and put the cup down. "You never know…you could have been a mass murderer chef whose only weakness is a fondness for plastic measuring utensils."

Rachel smiled and went to the front door. She shut it and then locked it.

"Rach, since when do we lock doors?"

"Since when do we look for a weapon while hiding in the kitchen, Dad?"

We looked at each other, both realizing that we feared the same thing…or, rather, the same person.

"Daddy, what is happening?" Tears were forming in Rachel's eyes.

How could I comfort her when I myself am afraid? I gave myself a mental slap, needing to erase the fear from my mind. But I could not be afraid. I must be strong for my family…for my people. I was the father of the Alpha. I was the son of the first Alpha. I could not fear. I would be my family's strength.

I wheeled to the den and stopped next to a chair. I patted the chair and Rachel came to me. She put her arms around my neck and continued to cry.

"Oh Daddy! I am so scared – for Jacob and Paul."

I patted Rachel's shoulder and let her cry. Her tears cleansed both of us. When Rachel had cried all her tears, she sat in the chair beside my wheelchair.

"Rachel, sweetie, what has happened?"

"I don't know, Daddy. Paul came home early this morning after being with the pack all night. He wouldn't talk – or maybe he _couldn't_ talk. When I mentioned Jacob's name, he started crying. I've never seen Paul cry! Do you know if something happened to Jake?" A look of pain was etched on Rachel's beautiful face.

"Oh Rachel! I didn't even think to talk to you last night. I don't even know where to start."

"I know about Quil. Emily took Claire to see Quil while he was at Nessie's house. I don't know anything past that. Daddy, is Jake…has he been…"

It dawned on me that Rachel thought Jacob was dead. "No! Honey, Jacob is fine!" But as soon as I said it, I realized that I didn't really know if Jacob was fine…or even alive. Has Nessie ever…showed you…stuff?" I didn't really expect Rachel to understand what I meant, but she nodded and smiled.

"One time on the beach I caught Nessie looking at Jacob. When I caught her eye she blushed and looked down. It was so cute! I walked over to her and before I even said anything, she placed the palm of her hand on my face. She showed me images of Jacob. I knew then that she had fallen in love with him."

"They both love each other…very much. Nessie came over here last night and showed me many things about their relationship. I found out that they can communicate with each other when Jacob is in wolf form!"

"No way! Does she have to touch him?"

"Nope. My point is that Jacob and Nessie are connected, not just because of the imprint or because they love each other. Their souls are connected. That is what Jake and Nessie both believe…and I think they must be right."

"Oh Daddy! I am so happy for Jake. But…uhm…you still haven't told me where Jake is."

"Rach, the same person that took Leah and Embry got Jake."

"No!" Rachel stood up as she screamed. "No! Why? Why Jacob?"

"I don't know. You know Alice? She has visions and saw some vampires in Italy talking about" my voice shook. I didn't want to say the next few words out loud because saying them made it seem more true. "They were talking about torturing your brother."

Rachel sank back into the chair. "We…we have to go to him. We have to help him! Does Paul know? What are the Cullens doing? This is all their fault!"

"Wait…there is so much more to tell you. Nessie came here yesterday to tell me what happened. She came with Seth and Quil. Seth dropped Nessie off and then took Quil home. Then he went to see Sam."

"Sam called a big meeting yesterday. I wonder if it was about Jake."

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Yeah. It was about Jake. Seth left the meeting and came here to warn us. Sam told the wolves that Jacob was dead. Then he said that if by some chance he weren't dead, he would be killed or exiled if he ever returned to La Push." I could hear Rachel gasp in shock and mutter 'no' several times, but I didn't stop talking. I wanted to get this over with. "Sam told all the wolves that they would obey his commands from now on. All wolves were to fold into Sam's pack. Any wolf not following Sam's orders would be killed. Sam ordered the wolves to kill all vampires, as well as halflings."

"Is Nessie ok? Did she get back home safely?"

"I think she did. If Seth hadn't come back, though, I think she would be dead right now. I tried to get all the wolves to meet me in the front yard so Seth and Nessie could escape out the back window. One wolf stayed behind. He howled as soon as he saw Seth and Nessie. They made it to the jeep and sped out of our territory. I think we would have heard from the Cullens if Nessie hadn't made it back." I looked intently at my daughter. "Tell me what happened with Paul."

"There isn't much to tell. He just cried. I asked him questions and he wouldn't answer them. Have you talked to Quil? Does he know anything?"

I hesitated to answer. I didn't like hiding truth from my family, but what if Paul managed to find out Quil called me. Would he hurt Quil?

"I think Quil is still pretty ill, Rachel. I will probably go check on him sometime this morning. Have you talked to Emily lately? Does she think something is wrong with Sam?"

"Emily took the kids to Sue's house and went back to her house. She hasn't left the house since. When I went over there this morning, she wouldn't' open the door more than a small crack. She said she forgot we were going to get together for breakfast. But…I think something is wrong."

"Why?"

"Just the way she talked to me. She never looked at me. And she whispered the entire time. She kept moving her head…like she was looking for something…or someone. I was going to ask you to check on her, but I think you need to stay away from Sam. And all the wolves, for that matter. Daddy, I think I will stay over here for a few days."

"No, Rachel. It may be dangerous. I just don't want anything to happen to you, too."

"But Daddy, this is the perfect idea. I am Paul's imprint. The pack would never hurt me. I am probably the best protection you could have!"

"I don't know…" But Rachel had already jumped up and was walking out the door.

"I'll be back in a little bit with some clothes!" With that, she disappeared.

I had to admit that I was glad to have an extra pair of ears to listen for danger…I just wish it wasn't my daughter's ear that would be here.

I wheeled myself back to the kitchen table and picked up the phone. I checked the caller ID box and called Quil back. I had no idea what I was supposed to say. Thankfully, Quil answered.

"Hello."

"Quil, it's Billy Black. Uh…how are you doing?"

"Not any better. it's nice that you want to visit me. " Quil paused. I knew someone was listening.

"When can I come over, Quil?"

"Oh, you can come just whenever. No, I didn't sleep well at all last night. I woke up every half hour."

"Got it. I'll be there in 30 minutes Quil."

"K. See you soon Billy."

I was uneasy about a great many things: Rachel moving back in with me…seeing Quil…Sam's actions…and Jacob.

I have never felt useless in my entire life. Even when I first found out I would be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. When my wife died and I watched my children's hearts break, I did not feel lost or without a purpose. I have always known that my existence was necessary for the future of my children…the future of my tribe. I was Ephraim Black's son.

But today…today I feel useless. I could not help my son. I could not promise my daughter that all was well. I didn't know how I could protect my people.

Today, I feel useless.


	9. Chapter 9 Sam

Chapter 9 - Sam

My call to the members of the council had been a failure. No one on the council wanted to make a move against Sam. Each one told me that Sam was the Alpha and they welcomed his leadership at such a critical time for our tribe. I grumbled that protection and intimidation are not the same thing; I received no response. I wasn't sure how much frustration and anger I could take.

I wheeled up to Quil's door and knocked. I was surprised to see Jared open the door. I put a smile on my face, but Jared spoiled my nice greeting.

"What do you want old man?" Jared sneered at me.

My jaw dropped and it took me a moment to realize that Jared had actually spoken to me with such disrespect. I straightened myself up in my wheelchair. Just as I opened my mouth to chastise him,

Jared leaned down and whispered in my ear. "Talk to Quil, but no one else."

I nodded and allowed Jared to push me in the house. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I did know I needed to act normal. And allowing Jared to be disrespectful to an elder would not be normal. "Jared, you will never speak to me in this manner again. I will take measures that will restrict you severely. Do not be disrespectful to me again."

"Yes, sir." Jared mumbled.

"Now…take me to Quil. I want to see for myself how he is doing."

Jared wheeled me into Quil's room. Jared left me by Quil's bedside and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Quil lay on the bed motionless. I wheeled closer to Quil's head as he whispered, "Look out the window. Make sure no one is out there."

I wheeled over to the window and looked around for any signs of a witness. "No one is there, Quil. Now tell me, what is going on?"

"We don't know. Sam is like a completely different person. When Seth tried to get the wolves to help save Jacob, Sam declared that Jacob was dead and didn't even consider going after him. That didn't make since because Sam has always had great respect for Jacob. When Jacob first split the pack, Sam was furious, but he knew that Jacob was truly the Alpha for our tribe."

"Quil, I agree. I think it is very strange. I would never have thought of Sam as –"

"Billy, you don't understand! More stuff is going on. He has told the pack that since the Cullens are gone, we don't need to run patrols. And we can only phase when he calls us. When we are phased, he won't talk to us and he has forbidden the wolves to talk to each other, no matter what. Not on a run, or bonfire, or fishing…no communication between wolves at all.

The only reason Jared is here is so that Sam will know when I am well enough to phase."

"What does Emily say?"

"Nothing…yet. Though I am not sure if it is because Sam told her not to talk to anyone or if everything is fine. Billy, what should we do? It's like Sam is a totally different person."

Hmm. A different person…could Sam be…the shape shifter? A fear seized my heart, though it quickly turned to anger. It made sense. He tried to prevent anyone from going to save my son. The council seemed afraid to take a stand against Sam. And it appeared Sam was trying to limit wolf activities. Wouldn't an enemy try to place an operative in a position that would allow the opposition to severely cripple the defensive measures of the tribe?

Quil interrupted my thoughts. "Billy? You ok over there?"

I hadn't realized that I was shaking until Quil said something. "Quil, I'm going to see Sam."

"No! Billy, you can't!"

"Don't worry. I'll be fine. I'll just act normal. I think it is perfectly fine for a father to seek out the person responsible for preventing my son's friends to save him. I'll let you know tonight how things go. I'll be by around7."

"Billy-"

"No Quil. I need to find out if my people are being threatened. Don't worry." I called for Jared and he helped me get outside.

Thankfully I had brought the spare battery for my wheelchair. Sam and Emily's cottage was close to the LaPush/Forks line. I had quite a bit of a journey. I hoped that the time it took me to get there, I would be able to calm down. But the closer I got, the angrier I became. My whole body was shaking with anger. I reached the gravel driveway to Sam and Emily's home. I was shocked by what I heard:

"Get out of my way, bitch."

"I'm sorry Sam. Sam! Sam, please don't hurt. Please, Sam. Sam, don't hurt"

I heard Emily scream right before I heard flesh pound flesh.

I was moving my chair as fast as I could. I could hear Sam hitting Emily…at first, she was crying, but it took so long to reach her! Her cries changed to moans and then to silence by the time I reached the front door. I opened the door and shook with fury at what I saw.

Emily was covered with blood. Her hair was in a tangled mess, matted with tears and blood. There was broken glass everywhere.

"What the hell are you doing here, old man? You pathetic excuse for a man. Get out and stay out!"

I shook so hard I couldn't stop. Anger was taking over my entire body. I realized I was covered in sweat. I must be having a heart attack. I could feel heat explode through my body. I thought for the briefest moment that maybe I wasn't having a heart attack. Surely I can't phase to a wolf, though. A fire of power began to fill me. I wheeled as close to 'Sam' as possible and let it happen.

'Sam' had been leaning down about to grab my chair when I exploded. I was not expecting it to be this painful. I screamed at the same time 'Sam' did.

In my mind, I could feel other wolves, though I did not hear any thoughts. I hoped that the wolves were not bound to an Alpha command of silence. _'Help me! Paul, Quil, Jared…anybody!'_

'_Billy? What…how…'_

'_Paul, get to Sam's house now!'_

In the corner of the room, Emily was beginning to wake up. My back legs wouldn't move, so I used my front legs to drag myself to her. I would not be much good in a fight, but if I could just keep 'Sam' off of Emily until Paul gets here.

The faintest whisper came from Emily. "Sam…what…"


	10. Chapter 10 Through the Looking Glass

A/N: I apologize for the long wait in posting. I have been looking for a teaching position without success. I am having a pity party right now.  Please read and review. I really appreciate reviews, especially during pity party times.

Chapter 10 – Billy Through the Looking Glass

Billy's POV

Sam turned to face Emily and I saw for the first time the damage I had done. Part of his face was hanging off and huge chunks of his flesh were missing from his chest and stomach. One of his arms was missing, just below the elbow.

'Sam' walked slowly to Emily and me. I snarled, hoping he would fear me. I should not have been so stupid.

"You don't seriously think you can stop me!" His speech was a bit slurred and difficult to understand, though I knew what he was saying. "I am many. You cannot kill me."

Emily looked past me and screamed. I followed her gaze and started growling. More 'Sams' were walking out of the kitchen. Each Sam had the exact injuries as the 'Sam' in front of me.

'_Paul! We need help! It isn't Sam. He…he made five more 'Sams' appear!'_ I yelped as 'Sam' picked me up above his head.

'_Billy, we're here!'_ I heard Paul say as 'Sam' threw me outside, through the glass windows.

Paul POV

As I crossed the door, I saw Billy being thrown through the glass windows. There were six 'Sams'. Each one grossly disfigured…I could feel the wolves shock.

'_Quil, go to Billy!_ I divided the 'Sams' between the remaining wolves. I went to Emily and fell down on my knees in shock. Emily was covered in blood with bits of glass sticking out of her flesh. One of Emily's eyes was swollen shut. The bruises were already showing.

"Paul." Emily's voice was barely a whisper. "Is this Sam? What had happened to Sam?"

I shook my head. The real Sam would never have allowed Emily to get hurt. Who is this monster that has invaded our land? I glanced at the 'Sam' directly in front of me. One of his hands was holding half of his face up close to the undamaged flesh. I watched as nerves and skin began healing. His face was almost whole! I couldn't let this thing regenerate. We had to kill him now! I snarled and pounced on him. I tore his arm away from his body, his screams the background sound of his own destruction. All of the wolves joined in on my fight.

'Quil! Get the fire started! He is almost destroyed! Why are you guys here and not with the Sam that you were told to kill?'

'_The rest disappeared when you started attacking your Sam.' _Jared answered me, but I could feel the same response from all the wolves.

My brothers and I carried the pieces of the fake Sam outside and placed him on the fire. We could still hear his screams. "You cannot kill me! You cannot kill!" It took 15 minutes of burning to silence his screams. Emily stared at the flames; tears streaming down her face.

'Jared, get the younger pups to run patrol. Have all the older wolves come to Sam's house. There are many things we need to do. Everyone else, phase back. We need to help Emily and Billy.'

We stepped back in the house to phase and get dressed. When we went back outside, we found Quil carrying Billy, still in wolf form, to Emily. Emily had her legs folded underneath her. She was staring at the dying fire. Billy put one of his front paws on Emily's lap and looked in Emily's eyes. A faint whine came from him, but Emily still wouldn't move or make a sound.

I knelt beside Emily and put my arms around her. "Emily?" I hesitantly said her name.

Emily turned and put her head on my shoulder. Her small hands balled into fists. She pummeled my arms while she sobbed. "I knew it couldn't be my Sam. But where…where is he? Paul, tell me where he is! Is he safe? Why…why did he leave me? Why?"

Emily was close to a complete breakdown and I knew I couldn't do anything or say anything to help her. "Emily I don't know –"

She backed away from my grasp. "Did he run away? Does he not want to be a wolf any more? I don't care if he isn't a wolf! I need him and he needs me!"

"Emily, I'm sorry! None of us realized it wasn't Sam. If Billy hadn't figured it out –"

Emily went to Billy and put her hand just below his ear. "Billy, do you know where Sam is?"

Billy shook his head and continue to whine. (Man! That was annoying! I sure hope the old man won't try to hang around us or phase very often.)

Emily buried her face in Billy's neck fur. Billy didn't move…he let her cry and offered what small comfort he could give her.

I heard paws racing up the gravel driveway to Sam's home. After a couple of minutes, Jared stepped out the back door.

"Paul, Billy just told me he couldn't phase back."


	11. Chapter 11 Nessie's & Jacob's Connection

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

**Just wanted to take a minute and apologize for how long it has been since I last updated…life has been really, REALLY hectic. My father had swine flu and was in the hospital for a little over a week, my youngest son had swine flu AND pneumonia, I had swine flu, my kids were in a state band competition (9****th**** place out of 459 other bands) with many, many smaller competitions leading up to the big event, traveling to the stadium…a 5 hour drive from my house and working on my thesis…and all of that is just the tip of the iceberg. I had a really bad migraine that lasted roughly a week and a half…it is tough to write or type when I have a migraine that bad. **

Another major issue has been that my computer was attacked by a worm. Thankfully, I had created a back-up disc recently, so most of the important stuff was easy to copy to the computer.

My beta hasn't had a chance to edit this chapter, so please forgive typos, grammar issues, etc. You may find tons of problems! I will edit and update the chapter as soon as I hear back from her.

I still don't own Twilight! Thanks to SM for a fabulous world to explore!

'Jacob, lets not waste time talking about Sam. We are making plans to rescue you and the others. Poppy has –'

'Nessie, what about Sam?'

I sighed. I hadn't wanted to add to Jacob's worries, but now I had no choice. "Sam ordered the wolves to kill me and Seth.' I heard Jacob's growl. 'Don't worry, we got away.' And you can deal with Sam when we get back to La Push.'

'Nessie, Sam was caught before I was.'

I looked at Daddy. His eyes were wide in shock. Both Daddy and Jacob realized immediately who the 'Sam' in La Push was…Justin.

'You mean…Sam is there? But. why? Sam isn't in your pack. Are the Volturi after the Alphas of both packs?'

'Sam surrendered his pack to me. There is only one Alpha now. The pack is no longer bound by any of Sam's (or in this case, Justin's) commands. The pack may still be following Justin's orders just because they THINK it's Sam giving them commands. When you land, call my dad. He'll be able to get to Quil and let him know that Sam is here. And, Nessie, I don't –'

'Stop right there. I know what you are about to say. And I am coming anyway. I am you're strength, remember?'

Jacob was silent for just a moment. He sighed, 'you are my strength. And my hope. I don't have much time – Aro said he would be back in 15 minutes.'

'I know. I could see him. And, by the way, what is going on with Jane?' I tried to keep the territorial instinct from creeping in my voice, but I didn't do a very good job of it. I could hear Jacob's smile when he answered.

'Jane? She is kinda hot, isn't she?'

I did not find this funny at all. 'She's hot alright…hot for you!'

'Ness, I only have eyes for you. She is freaking me out. Wait…I can hear footsteps…I need to phase back. If…If I don't make it, just know I love you.'

'Jacob? Jacob, I love you, too.' I lost my connection to him. I turned and looked at a trembling, whimpering Seth. "Seth, go phase. And please hurry."

Once Seth was in human form, we gathered in the conference room.

I watched my dad's face as I worried about Jacob. I found no comfort in his gaze, but pity.

"Nessie, I don't know what is going on exactly, but Leah told Seth more than Jacob told you."

My family gathered at the conference table and sat down. I sat between my mom and dad, Meemee sat beside my mom and held Seth's hand. Aunt Alice sat next to my dad, Uncle Jazz and Poppy stood.

Daddy broke the sad silence. "Seth, why don't you tell everyone what you found out from Leah."

"First, the 'Sam' in La Push, is actually Justin. I don't know how long Justin has been 'Sam'. What I can tell you is that Sam surrendered his pack to Jacob, so the pack no longer has to follow any commands from Sam…the real one or Justin."

"So…we could call them and tell them?"

"We will, Bella. As soon as we land. But they may not believe what we say. I think we should call Billy first. He will know how to handle that. According to Leah, she was the only one conscious when she arrived in Italy. Justin took her out of the school and took her directly to Volterra. None of them know if Justin took each of them to Italy or if he was working with someone. Regardless, we aren't really certain how long Sam has been in La Push."

"What about Jacob? What is happening to Jacob?"

"He was put in the 'Iron Maiden'."


	12. Chapter 12, La Push, Part 1

Paul's POV

"He can't phase back?" I glanced at Billy as he turned his head to look at me. Great. "Quil, go find Rachel. She may be able to help Billy relax. Collin, get Emily to the emergency room."

Jared looked at Collin. "Lets run and get my car…there is enough room in the backseat for Emily to lay down.."

I helped Emily stand up and pulled her into a hug. She was trembling as she sobbed.

"Please tell me where he is! I..I need to go to him…please! Tell me where he is. Why did he leave?" Emily buried her head in my chest.

I wanted to tell Emily that Sam was ok and would come home safely…I wanted to believe it…I needed to believe it. I had started to comfort her with empty promises when I smelled the most beautiful fragrance: Rachel was here.

Rachel gently pulled Emily out of my arms and embraced her sobbing friend. "Emily! I am so sorry I didn't help you earlier…I – "

"Rachel, do you know where Sam is? Did he run away? Please tell me! He needs me!"

Rachel held Emily and just let her cry. When Emily's cries were more subdued, Rachel whispered into her ear. "Emily, we will find him…we will find all of them." With that, Rachel started crying. It dawned on me that Rachel was afraid and had needed me to comfort her. What a great Beta I make! Rachel was afraid for Jacob, Billy and, probably, me. And I haven't comforted her at all!

Billy started whining again – he heard Jared and Collin get back with the car. When the two of them walked in the house, they quickly laid eyes on Emily. Collin placed his hand on Emily's shoulder. "Emily, lets get you in the car."

"No! I can't leave! What if Sam comes back and I'm not here. He might think I left him. I cannot leave right now. I don't need a hospital, anyway. I am fine."

I looked at Rachel. Surely she knows how bad Emily's injuries must be.

"Emily…I promise…if Sam comes back before you, I will tell him where you are. When he gets home, if you aren't taken care of, he will blame himself. You know he will…so go to the hospital. Have your injuries taken care of." Rachel patted Emily's shoulder and whispered, "I promise, Emily."

"Rachel is right, Emily. Go to the hospital…we will watch for Sam." This was a promise that I knew I could keep.

Emily let Collin pull her away from Rachel. Collin was helping Emily get to the door when she turned to look at Rachel. The encouraging smile Rachel was trying to give her friend was shadowed by her own fears…the smile never reached her eyes.

Once Jared's car pulled away from the house, Rachel started to sink down to the floor. I caught her and pulled her up to my chest. Rachel sobbed for a few minutes before collecting herself. "Paul, how did that vampire get on our land? And how long has Sam been missing? Do you know where…where he is? Is Jacob…is Jacob still – "

"Rachel, I don't know. I'm sorry babe. I just don't know."

Billy whined again. I sat Rachel down and she moved towards Billy.

"Daddy?"


	13. Chapter 13 La Push, Part 2

A/N: Just wanted to take a minute and say thanks to my reviewers! Y'all are awesome! (Y'all is my favorite word…you have no idea how many times I pull that word from the story!)

Bubbles Loves Twilight – I am thrilled you are enjoying it!

– I'm so glad you sent me a message! I hadn't realized how long it has been since last updated!

kmddeprez1122 – I am still writing…I have just been distracted. This is actually the 2nd installment for the trilogy. I have chapter sketches for the rest of this story and most of the 3rd. Thanks for asking.

brokenfromthepast - Thanks!

reneesmay – I think that Rosalie and Esme are pretty tough chicks when they need to be!

lovingtwilightxo – Hope you enjoy the next few chapters, too.

Avada Cantare – Jane is acting a bit creepy…

Please review! Reviews make me do the Happy Dance!

La Push 2

Rachel POV

"Daddy? It's really you?" The wolf whined as he looked at me. I walked closer to my father and sat on the grass beside him. Daddy wolf rested his chin on my knee.

"Wow. Have you ever phased before? Can you walk when you are a wolf? What made you –" Paul interrupted my questions.

"Babe, those are really good questions, but for now, we need to get him to calm down so he can phase back."

"_You_ are the wolf, Paul, not me. I don't know how to get him to phase."

"Jeepers." Paul slapped his forehead. "Wish I would have thought about that before now! I'm a wolf…I can help Billy phase!"

"Sarcasm is not pretty, Paul."

"Well! Good grief! Of course I tried! But Billy is experiencing too many emotions, too fast. He wont be able to phase until he calms down. He is angry that a leech invaded our turf, worried about what the imposter did to Emily, scared that something might happen to you and fear for Jacob. If we can help him calm down, I think we will be able to get him to phase. Remind him of happy times...relay some of your memories of growing up with him. Just talk to him."

Daddy looked at me and whined. If Daddy didn't quite whining, Paul was going to –

"Stop whining!" Paul commanded. With two alphas and one beta missing, I knew Paul would assume that he would be "acting" alpha. Evidently, Daddy didn't agree with him.

My gentle father pushed me out of the way and then sat upright. A ferocious snarl sounded in Daddy's chest. Paul instantly phased and lowered his head to the ground. Daddy's chest still reverberated. He was letting Paul know that only descendants of Ephraim Black were true Alphas, I'm sure. But what did it mean…Daddy had never become a wolf. Why would he phase this late in life? Was Jacob (and Sam) dead? Were the wolf genes in Daddy surfacing because the rightful alpha was dead?

Paul shifted and began raising his head; daddy did not permit it. A vicious growl came from Daddy. He pulled his lips back, showing his sharp teeth. Daddy's teeth looked even more deadly than Paul's did. After a few more minutes, Daddy laid down on the ground. Paul followed suit.

Satisfied that the dispute was over, I went to Sam's and Emily's bedroom to look for a pair of sweat pants for Paul to put on when he phased back. When I got back to Paul and Daddy, Paul had already phased back to a human. I handed Paul the sweats. His eyes stayed down while he dressed.

"Paul?" Without glancing at me, Paul finally spoke.

"Billy is the alpha until Jacob returns." Only after he said this did Paul look at me. "Rachel, we need to help your dad phase."

I nodded and sat down next to Daddy. After a brief pause, I thought of the perfect memory – one our family laughed and teased about long after it happened.

"Oh, Daddy, do you remember when we all went fishing? Jacob was 11, I think, and you had finally gotten mom to go fishing with us. Jacob just had to show Mom what a good fisherman he was. And then he fell out of the boat!" I was getting tickled at the memory and I could feel Daddy's breathing becoming more normal. Maybe this would work! "Remember how mom tried to help Jacob get back in the boat? Rebecca was so mad when the boat turned upside down. When you came up out of the water, you had Momma in your arms. You said…" My voice was beginning to crack and my eyes were suddenly watery. "You said you had caught the most beautiful fish in the whole world." I whispered. I buried my face in Daddy's shoulder and cried. "I miss them, Daddy. And what if Jacob…" I couldn't finish my sentence; it was too horrible to even think it, much less say it.

Paul groaned and then came to me. He picked me up off the ground and lifted my chin to look at him. "Rachel, babe, I needed you to help your dad…not make things worse."

"You are such a jerk!" Paul put his arms around me and I didn't resist him. "My best friend was beaten to a bloody pulp, my brother has been taken away and I don't know if he is alive or not. And my Dad is a wolf that can't phase back. Maybe I am having a hard time, too."

Paul tightened his arms around me and gently kissed my forehead. "I'm sorry, Rachel. I should have known how upset you are. I'm sorry. I know this has been tough on you. But I really need your help. I wish I didn't have to push you on this, but we really need to get your dad to phase. Lets get you a cool glass of lemonade and rest for a bit. We can try again after that. I'll be right back."

I watched Paul walk into the house. My wolf needed me, as did my father. I could do this. I know I can help Daddy phase. I laid down next to Daddy and started to speak when Paul stepped back out with Daddy's cell phone.

"Rachel, it's Seth. He says he needs to talk to Billy. He wont tell me anything."

I raced to Paul and grabbed the phone. "Seth?"

I put a poll up on my profile page…I think. I had decided to skip Billy's perspective on another short chapter. The poll is asking the question if you want to read Billy's or keep moving forward? I think the poll is on my profile page…if you don't see it, just send me a note and tell me what you think.

I will update on Monday.

Thanks!


	14. Chapter 14 Jacob's Walk

This chapter is going to be a bit short…I need to get the Cullen's plus Seth and the 3 wolves to Jacob. I have the next chapter written and am almost through with the one after that. I will get it posted ASAP. Still haven't had a beta, so forgive my mistakes. If you see something, send me a message and I will fix it.

Hope you enjoy!

"We may not have much time, so let's focus on a game plan. I will memorize the pathways when I go…wherever I go…each of you need to do the same. If we are going to escape, we need some idea of how this place is laid out. Try to look in doors and windows…see if you can locate a way to get out." I looked at my three pack mates and hated that I did not know how to save and protect them. "Leah, if I don't come back –"

Leah was shaking her head. "No! Jake-"

"Leah, I don't want to die and I am going to fight my hardest to get back. But it would be foolish to pretend that whatever Aro has planned for me is not dangerous. If I don't make it…you are my beta…I have always trusted you in that role because I know that you are more than capable of leading the pack. Get out of here and get the Cullens back to Forks." I watched as Leah squared her shoulders and stood up straighter. "I will be back, though. So don't get any business cards printed that say, "Leah Clearwater – Alpha".

"I already have them printed. They are sitting on my dresser at home." Leah smirked. Embry and Sam both smiled and rolled their eyes.

All to soon, the heavy door opened and Aro poked his head in the doorway. "It's time."

I followed Aro out of my cell and began memorizing the different chambers leading from the hallway. We had almost reached the end when I stopped abruptly. I smelled human…many humans. Aro hadn't noticed that I had stopped following him so I quietly walked to the chamber door where the humans were.

A small window in the door allowed me to see a large room that was packed with humans. They were in small groups, some chatting amicably, some animatedly, around the room. Butlers (all vampires, of course) served glasses filled with what looked like champagne. There was no sense of fear in the humans at all…maybe it was because of the champagne. A cold sense of foreboding engulfed me. These people had no idea of what was about to happen to them. I reached for the doorknob and twisted it quietly, surprised that the door was unlocked.

Before I had a chance to enter the room or even yell a warning, I was pinned against the wall of the hallway in a chokehold. It was a vampire, but not Aro. I glanced down the hallway when I heard the infuriating chuckle the bloodsucker made. I realized that the hallway was lined with vampires. How had I missed that?

"Didn't know you were surrounded by vampires? That little trick will be of great usefulness in the near future. Now come, we have lots to do. I would hate to send the she-dog in your place. I don't think she would be able to escape the…uhm…"advances" of all those assembled.

My chest rumbled with a low growl as the leeches pinning me to the wall let go. I resigned myself to follow Aro. We passed more doors, more hallways…this place was enormous. Finally we came to the end of our hallway. A large door was locked (with three different locks) and was surrounded by a locked gate of bars. In front of that gate were wooden beams. The hairs on the back of my neck were prickling. What did Aro have in store for me?

"Ahh! I smell a scared dog. The brave alpha finally experiences fear! I am delighted I am the one that has brought you to such a weak state."

"I do not fear you, so don't flatter yourself. I am only concerned with what you have hidden behind this door." I looked at the iron bars and touched the lock. "Whatever is behind the door is obviously the source of your own fear. Tell me, Aro. What do you fear?"

"You will soon find out, dog. Just remember, if you fail, we send in the she-dog. I would imagine her death would be quite slow…these creatures haven't seen a female in a very long time." With that, Aro opened the door and pushed me out.

I was outside the vampire citadel, sunlight so bright my vision was temporarily interrupted. I heard the locks turning, the gate closing and I am quite sure that the beams were put back, though I didn't know that for certain…there were too many loud growling noises. My vision cleared and I looked around me, trying to find the source of the growling. A figure lunged at me. I jumped clear, landing on all four feet. This was bad.

Thank you for reading the story. I would really appreciate reviews. I don't get reviews very often, so I can't tell if anyone is really interested. So…if you review the chapter, I will send you a preview of the next chapter! Let me know what you think…


	15. Chapter 15 Meeting with Jane

Last chapter:

Jacob was forced outside as Aro and his guards locked the heavy door and barricaded it. At least he thought they barricaded the door…he couldn't quite hear over the low growls all around him. A figure lunged towards him, but Jake was ready – he phased on the spot.

Leah's POV

Sam, Embry and I stood looking at the door…afraid to speak…to worried about our friend and alpha to breathe. Though we were in human form, we each knew what the other was thinking: phase. I cleared my throat to get their attention and nodded. But just as we each stepped back, we heard the lock turning.

I shook my head, letting Sam and Embry know I didn't want them to phase. The door opened and the short, creepy vamp stepped into our cell.

"Leah, come with me." Jane said in a singsong, annoying voice.

"Like hell I will bi-" I crumpled to the ground in agony. I clamped my jaws together, determined to not cry out in pain. I heard Embry growl just as the pain was subsiding, then he phased and leapt towards Jane…falling to the ground well before reaching the leech. His body was convulsing wildly on the floor, his eyes rolling back in his head.

"Stop! I'll go with you." I made my way to Embry and nestled my head against his shoulder. Spasms still shook his body, but at least he could breathe…and his heart rate was returning to normal. I don't know what I ever did to deserve someone like Embry…he was gentle and loving…and a protector for me. Embry had eased the ache in my heart that Sam had placed there. No...he didn't ease the ache – he obliterated it. Every hurt I had ever had faded away as Embry opened my eyes to his steadfast, never wavering love. I don't know why it took so long for us to imprint on each other, but I was truly thankful that we had. I had never felt this depth of love and devotion before. And I had never been so head over heels before. What I had felt for Sam was nothing compared to my love for Embry. What if I never saw him again? What if I was about to be killed? I can't stand the thought of Embry grieving for me…and being alone. I need to know that he can be happy again…even if I am no longer with him.

I whispered to Embry in Quilette so the creepy vamp wouldn't know what I was saying. "Never forget my love for you. You are my reason to live and breathe. And I will fight to come back to you. But if I don't –" Embry growled low, but I placed my hand on his muzzle and looked in his eyes. My eyes were full of tears as I began again. "If I don't make it back, please love someone again. I can't stand the thought of you being heartbroken and alone." I glanced at Sam. "Sam, please…" Sam walked to us and crouched at Embry's side. I kissed the top of Embry's nose and stood. Embry whined and made to follow me, but Sam held him down. I walked slowly to the door.

When I tried to turn around and look at Embry, Jane yelled, "Hurry up!" and pushed me. My head slammed against the door and a groan escaped my mouth before I could stop it. Jane pushed me into the hallway and slammed the door just as Embry lunged for me. A loud thump and growling came from the other side of the door. I looked at Jane and raised my right eyebrow. "So…what do you want?"

"Information, of course. Follow me."

I followed Jane down a long corridor, memorizing my steps and the corridors, just in case I do make it out of this little meeting alive. The stench of vamp was enough to make my stomach roll. Humans were nearby, too. I couldn't smell Jacob anywhere; obviously he didn't go this way. There was another smell in the hallway…one that I didn't recognize at all.

Jane stopped and opened a door. "In here."

"Why, yes, your majesty. Or do you prefer to be called Jane? My favorite name for you is creepy vamp bi –" A zap quickly reminded me to quit calling her that.

Jane shut the door to the small room and then faced me. "Tell me what you know about Jacob."

"Jacob? Why do you want to know about him? Ask him yourself. He's a Quilette Indian that turns into wolf when he gets pissed off."

"I know all that…I want to know Jacob the man…what he likes…what he doesn't like."

I couldn't stop myself from laughing. Creepy vamp has a crush on our Alpha! Then she zapped me again. "Cut it out! If you keep zapping me, I wont say anything."

"Okay. No more…persuasion…Just, please tell me about him."

Crap. She had it bad. As much as I didn't like her, or her kind, I almost felt sorry for her. **ALMOST**. I think I will play this up a bit. "Look, it makes sense that you find yourself attracted to Jacob…he is hot! Just look at his pecs…and his abs…don't you just want to run your hands over him? And then his biceps…I've never seen biceps that big and beautiful. Have you touched his hair? It feels like silk…and the way – "

"Enough! I am not blind! I know he is beautiful…But I want to know more about _him_. I know he is protective of you and his pack. And the Cullens. I know he is because of how he treated the hybrid that day we met in the clearing. Does he…has he…is he…Tell me who holds his heart."

Double crap. It sounds like she is actually in love with Jake. I felt sorry for her, but what could I say to her. What _should_ I say to her? If she is obsessed with Jake, she might try to kill Nessie. Jane would probably see Nessie as just an obstacle to get to Jake. And as much as I love Nessie, I have never been impressed with her fighting skills. She is, after all, only a half vamp. She is strong compared to a human, but I don't think she would have a chance against Jane. Think Leah!

"Tell me before I get angry."

**C R A P**. Who is strong enough to face off with Jane? And then it hit me. "Rosalie. Jacob and Rosalie are in love." I cringed when I said that last part. They are both going to kill me…assuming I make it out of this alive. Wonder where I could hide…

"Rosalie? What about the big stupid guy?"

I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face. "Well, Rosalie has eyes, doesn't she? Which would you want – big and stupid or big and beautiful?"

Jane stood completely silent for a few minutes before speaking again.

"I'll take you back to your friends now…"

The next chapter is going to be quite lengthy and will be switching POVs fairly quickly. I probably wont update until this coming Friday. If you review, I will send you a preview for the next chapter!

Thanks!


	16. Chapter 16 Rosalie loves Jacob

**Here is the first part of chapter 16…hope you enjoy!**

Nessie's POV

"Nessie? Sweetheart, we are about to land."

I opened my eyes to see my mom sitting next to me. Across from us, Daddy was waking up Seth. I don't remember falling asleep and from the dumb-founded expression on Seth's face, he didn't, either.

"Jasper helped you guys fall asleep. We felt that you both needed to rest before we have to face the Volturi. Speaking of the Volturi, Nessie –"

"No Dad! Don't even go there. My Jacob needs me. I have to save him." I had plenty more to say, but I was suddenly quite nauseated. I folded my arms around my stomach as if I could hold it steady.

"Nessie? Are you ok?"

"I don't know mom. I am really sick at my stomach."

The plane was silent for a minute before Seth asked, "Has it been hurting throughout the flight or just now?"

"Just now."

Whatever Seth was thinking, it caused my dad to glance at mom with a worried expression.

"What?" No response. "What? Daddy, what is wrong?"

Seth answered me, his voice barely a whisper. "I think Jacob fears for his life."

"No! Jacob has never…he has worried and been afraid for me or someone else that he loves…but never…No! Jacob doesn't…he will be fine…we are going to rescue him…he will be fine." I slumped to the floor of the plane and dissolved in hysterical sobs. I couldn't – no wouldn't – believe that Jacob was afraid he would die. Momma's arms wrapped around me and MeeMee's arms wrapped around both of us.

Leah's POV

As Jane opened the door to our cell, Embry jumped through the doorway, knocking me down. Embry didn't realize it was me until we landed. He nuzzled his nose onto my shoulder and neck as if he couldn't believe it was me. Then we both felt Jane's impatience with us.

"Get in your room. I want to get away from your stench."

Embry looked at Jane and began growling. I placed my hand on Embry's chest. "Embry, lets just go back inside. I missed you…and I...really need you to hold me."

I hated exposing my feelings in front of the creepy vamp bi- nope! Can't call her that…Great! Now I am worried about my thoughts with her around. At any rate, I wanted Embry in our cell – I did need him to hold me.

Embry stepped away from me so that I could get up and stood between Jane and me. He walked backwards into the room and didn't let down his guard until he heard the door lock. He quickly phased and held me in his arms.

"Leah? What happened? Did she hurt you? That creepy vamp bi-"

I cut him off. "She really hates that name, so try to come up with something different." I nuzzled with Embry for several long (wonderful) moments before Sam cleared his throat. I closed my eyes, but I couldn't blot out my responsibility. "You're right Sam. We need to talk. Let's phase."

Nessie's POV

Seth had phased. He was looking in Daddy's direction but I could tell he was looking at something else.

Seth's POV

When I phased, I was able to hear Leah describe a meeting with Jane.

'Leah, are you saying that Jane is actually in love with Jacob?' I shuddered when Leah answered.

'Yep. And I don't think she intends to let anything or anyone come between them.'

I glanced at Nessie. She was tough…and pretty good in a fight…but against Jane?

'I know, Seth. That is what I thought, too. Just listen to the rest of the interview.'

I watched as Leah taunted Jane…Leah has never been good at diplomacy.

'Hey! I heard that!'

'Leah, you are my sister and I love you…but you do have a twisted sense of humor and a bad temper…two things that aren't necessarily great attributes when dealing with the enemy.'

Leah growled and then continued her story. When she showed me and Embry and Sam the part about Rosalie, Edward slid off the couch because he was laughing so hard. Leah, Sam and Embry started laughing because they 'saw' the normally reserved Edward fall off the couch. The cabin of the plane was suddenly full of giggles, too. This felt good. We needed a bit of levity, regardless of how short the moment would be.

'Leah, why can't I see Jacob?'

Edward stopped laughing abruptly and looked at me.

'Wow. What a great Beta I am. I didn't even notice he wasn't with us.'

I, along with the other three wolves, grew silent…we were listening for Jake.

Rosalie's POV

I could hear everyone laughing, but I didn't catch what was so funny. "Hey, what's going on out there? First y'all are giggling then everyone is silent. Edward, is everything ok?"

"Ummm…yeah…Remember, you are flying the plane, so don't make any sudden movements, ok?"

This must be bad. "I will just come back there." I stood and looked at Emmett. "Em, take the wheel for me."

"Babe…we are just about to land…I can't do that…besides…you know how I love to watch you handle the – "

"Stop! Emmett! Rosalie get back here now!"

The tone of Edward's voice was quite urgent. Panicky, even. Emmett looked concerned about it, too. I hated to see his beautiful face misshapen by worry. I leaned down and placed my hand on Emmett's face. "Don't worry. I'm sure Edward's just over reacting to something. I brushed his forehead with my lips. Emmett gently took my hand off his face and pressed his lips to my palm.

"Rosie, if something bad ever happened to you –"

I sat in Emmett's lap and softly kissed his lips. "Nothing will happen."

"But what if – "

I straddled Emmett's lap and held his face between my hands. "Nothing –" I lightly kissed him and then pulled back. "will –" I kissed him deeper. "happ –" before I could finish, Emmett took over the kiss and I got completely lost.

When he broke our kiss, I leaned back and looked at him. I never could think when he kissed me like that. Just as I reached up to kiss Emmett, Alice and Edward both yelled at us to stop.

"There's always later, babe."

"Really, Emmett?" I stood back up and gave him the sexiest look I had ever given him. "Can you wait?" I turned my back to him and made my way to the door. Emmett grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.

"I can wait…as long as I get a preview." Emmett's hands were tugging my shirt when Alice screeched, "I don't have any more clothes to give Rosalie!"

Em grinned devilishly at me, "Don't worry babe, you can wear mine." I giggled as Emmett pulled me back to his seat.

"Emmett, your rock my world."

A loud thud followed by the door to the cockpit landing on the floor caused me and Em to both jump.

"Emmett has been rocking the world for all of us Rosalie. Did you guys forget that we are on a plane? A plane that is being flown by the two of you? Do you even realize how quickly you have been dropping altitude and then just as quickly climb back up? And the turns! Seth has thrown up twice! And cleaning it up hasn't been exactly easy with all the wild movements of the plane! Rosalie Cullen, get out there now!"

I didn't even glance at Emmett as I left the cockpit. I was afraid of what Esme might say or do. The instant I left the cockpit a smell invaded my noise, making me want to run back to the cockpit.

"Don't you dare say one word about the stench, Rosalie." Edward growled. It's your fault he threw up everywhere…and, unfortunately, I do mean everywhere."

"I'm sorry…I just –" Hmmm…not exactly sure what I should say.

"Please," groaned Edward, "don't even try to finish your sentence. A few minutes ago, we found out something really funny…at least, me and Seth thought it was funny. Don't get mad, Rose…I mean, it is kinda funny when you think about it."

"Ok…so what?" Why was he hedging? Edward is usually straightforward about everything.

"Jane was questioning Leah…She asked Leah if there was anyone…special to Jacob."

Edward paused long enough for me to consider what answer Leah probably gave Jane. I had better be wrong, though.

"Leah told him that you and Jacob were in love."

"What? Why would she do that?" Nessie asked…no one answered.

"Rosalie?" Esme softly asked.

"Wow! Rosalie, you are taking this so much better –" the now human, scratch that – mongrel bag of puke - began. He was interrupted by someone screaming…me.

"How dare she! She told Jane I was in love with that smelly, stinky ball of fur? I would rather kiss the butt of a baboon than the dog! What was she thinking?"

I barely registered Edward trying to answer me because Jasper was attempting to calm me down. An inner peace radiated from me. I felt much more calm, but that just pissed me off even more. "Jasper, when we get out of this mess – "

"Not now, Rose," Edward interrupted. "The reason Leah said this is what is important: Jane is in love with Jacob."

The entire plane shook with our collective shudders.

"And, she is willing to kill anyone in her way. Leah knew that Nessie wouldn't be able to fight Jane and win. She chose you because she thought you would be able to win a fight with Jane. You could say this is a complement. Leah admires –"

"Oh shove it Edward! You know –"

A tiny gasp came from Alice, followed by Edward whispering, "No!" No one moved until Edward spoke again. "Rosalie, get back in the cockpit NOW! Bella, help me secure Nessie. Mom, Dad, secure Seth."

I heard Bella speak just as I reached the cockpit. "Edward? What is happening?"

"We are about to crash land."

I got in my seat and looked for anything that could cause a crash. The sky was clear, the plane was functioning normally. I would love to believe Alice was wrong, but she rarely is.

"Rosie, look." I followed Emmett's finger and saw gray smoke quickly moving towards us.

"Buckle up everybody. This is going to get bumpy and I don't want to risk someone bumping into the plane and damaging something. I'm going to try getting around the smoke."

I waited for 30 seconds before I tried to climb above the smoke…but I couldn't get high enough. I tried a barrel roll, thinking I could maneuver us away from the smoke. Still didn't work. The smoke was beginning to penetrate the cabin of the plane, stripping each of us of our sight. The plane spiraled out of control. "I can't control the plane! Brace for impact!"

I took a slight detour when I was trying to find a good place to cut the chapter in half…I hadn't intended for the plane to crash, but the idea popped into my head and I had to let it play out.

Thank you guys so much for the reviews! I have a bit of tweaking to do on the original second half of this chapter, so I may not be able to send you a preview until tomorrow (Thursday).


	17. Chapter 17 Plane Crash

Chapter 17Bella POV

I looked around the cabin and saw confusion and fear on my family's face. Rosalie's anxious voice filled the cabin, "I can't see! I don't know where I can fly or land!"

"It's Alec! Bella, shield the plane."

"Edward, if Bella shields only the _inside_ only, then Alec will have no idea that we survive the crash." Jasper explained. "Bella, help Rosalie. You can guide her. Edward-"

"I think you're right Jazz. Both of you, Dad."

Emmett was rushing from the cockpit, almost knocking me over.

"Sorry Bella…I didn't see you." He laughed over his shoulder. "What's the plan, bro?"

"Bella is going to help crash the plane and –"

"What? Jasper, I can't fly or land the plane…if we are relying on me, you are right…I will crash the plane."

"Bella, I didn't mean you would actually fly OR crash the plane. You just need to be Rosalie's eyes. Your vision is not clouded as hers is."

"Bella, hurry!" Rosalie's panicked voice filled the cabin.

Edward's POV

"Jasper and I will kick out both of the exit doors. Carlisle, you and Esme jump out together with Seth, shielding him as much as you can. He can survive falls of great distance, but 10,000 feet is more than just a great distance. And, no, Seth, do not phase. We don't want to add to the worry of the pack…and we don't want them to let the Volturi know we survived."

I looked at Jasper to formulate more of the plan, but his face had softened and his thoughts were only about comforting Alice. I looked at Alice and saw her trembling and muttering. Until now, I had blocked her out because I was worrying about Bella and Nessie. But as I listened to her thoughts once again, I realized she was blaming herself. I sat beside her and pulled her into my arms.

"Alice, this is not your fault! I know Seth clouds your vision." I released her from my hug but held on to her arms and looked into her eyes. "This is actually a good thing. Alec will believe we crashed and died in a fiery plane crash. But we will have jumped out before that. Now we will have an easier time sneaking into the palace. This is for the best, ok?"

Alice nodded and stood up. "Tell me what to do."

Rosalie POV

I don't like this. It just sounds to risky. Jumping from a plane without a parachute…

Edward spoke to Carlisle in a calm voice, "Carlisle, at what altitude should we get the plane ready for jumping?"

Edward was silent for a moment before he answered for Carlisle. "Carlisle thinks we can survive at 10,000 feet."

"THINKS? He THINKS we can survive? 10,000 feet? I – "

"Rosie, just get us to 10,000. We've already paired…actually, tripled up. As soon as we get to 10,000, Carlisle and Esme will jump with from the back, Alice and Jasper from the front, then Bella and I will jump with Nessie in the back while you and Emmett jump from the front."

"I don't like this. It's to big of a risk." I muttered.

I looked up as Emmett as walked to me. He knelt down so we could be at eye level. "Rosie, I wont let anything happen to you. You are my world…if I didn't think we would be ok, I wouldn't accept Eddie's plan."

I yanked the plane's communication earpiece out of my ear and rested my forehead against Emmett's forehead. I never knew that love could be such a strong bond until I met Emmett. I brushed a soft kiss on his lips. I felt Emmett stand as he pulled me to my feet and closer to him. I loved the way our bodies melded together – as if we were created just for each other. I kissed him more deeply, exploring his mouth as he let out a groan of pleasure. I loved that I could do that to him. Emmett caressed my back, sliding ever so gently to the back of my knee. Suddenly, he hitched my leg over his waist and pressed me against the back wall of the cockpit. His lips traced my jaw and finally found the sensitive spot on my neck. "Oh Em-"

"Will you two cut it out? We have an emergency out here. Rosalie, we need to be able to trust you. You two are not allowed to touch each other until it is your turn to jump. Do you understand?"

"Yes, mom." Em and I said together…though I couldn't help looking at Em through my lashes. Emmett was watching me…he and I were thinking the same thing – joining the '10,000 ft high' club. Hmm. Maybe we would even be the founders of the '10,000 ft high club'.

"Mom, they are still thinking about – "

"Thank you, Edward. But I already knew that. Son, you need to mind your own business."

Emmett started to laugh but Esme cut him off.

"Don't even start, Emmett! You two had best not disappointment me. Do you understand?"

I hated it when Mom said something like that to us. It reminded us that there were times when she was not pleased with us at all. And that made me quite sad, actually. Maybe she was sorry that me and Emmett were her children. Emmett and I both promised that we would behave and I really wanted to cry. And when I thought about all of us having to jump out of the plane, it just made me sick. What if we were injured and couldn't heal? What if Nessie died? I fell to my knees and buried my head in Em's neck. He was groaning about something, too.

"Oh for pity's sake. Jasper!" Mom cried. Instantly I felt better. I screamed every four-letter word I knew and called him every name in the book. Em promised to kick his butt all the way back to Forks for messing with our emotions.

Bella interrupted us. "Hey, we are at 10,000 feet."

I jumped back in the pilot seat as Edward ran to the cockpit. "Everyone get into place. Nessie is at the back of the plane waiting for us Bella. Rose, as soon as you are positive the plane will hit a mountain, you and Em jump out."

"Edward…" Bella said softly. "You know I have to be the last off. Rose wont know if she is heading to a house or a lake or a mountain."

"She'll know. As soon as I get back to Nessie, shield the entire plane. That should be long enough for Rosalie to see. She and Emmett will jump when we do. Ok…let's do it."

Bella lifted her shield around the plane and I couldn't believe how close we were to the mountain! "First jump, go!" I yelled as Edward counted to three. I felt the plane rock as part of the family left. "Bella, run to Edward. I will hold the plane stead until you get – " Bella was already there.

Emmett stood waiting for me at the door. I ran to him, yelling "Jump!"

We were zooming through the air…An incredible rush of excitement ran through me. Nothing was holding us, nothing that could stop us before we landed, no harnesses or belts. We were free falling. I caught Emmett's face between my hands and kissed him passionately…if only we had more time…

Carlisle POV

"Now that we are all back together, lets work out a new plan. First things: Seth, call Billy. Let him know about the imposter. But don't talk to anyone BUT Billy. The risk is just too great of tipping off the shape-shifter. Nessie, see if you can talk to Jacob and find out what is happening with the pack. Edward…does Alec think we are dead?"

"Yeah. Right before we jumped I heard the smug bastard thinking how pleased Aro would be with him."

We will FINALLY see Jacob in the next chapter! Thanks for being patient with me! Hope you enjoy and I would love to know what you think…


	18. Chapter 18 A Larger Pack

Author's note: Sorry for the long delay. I have been going through different treatments for migraine and have had a really bad reaction to the latest round of shots. But I am feeling much better now ( I think the treatments are working). Hopefully wont have a long gap between updates anymore!

Chapter 18

The sight of me phasing must have scared the werewolves…at least that is what I am guessing that is what they are. The snarling and growling stopped abruptly when I was on all fours.

I heard a jumble of voices in my head; disjointed thoughts and emotions threatened to overwhelm me. If these werewolves had a pack mentality, I should only be able to communicate with their alpha…but I could sense at least 30 different and distinct werewolves.

'Who is the alpha?' That simple question garnered a response from pretty much all of the wolves at just about the same time.

'We have no alpha.'

'We are not inferior to anyone.'

'Did you think you could come in here and order us to do your will?' The tallest werewolf asked as he made his way toward me. 'You aren't even a real werewolf, are you? You are just a puppy…Run and hide puppy. Before we decide to kill such a worthless dog. Tell Aro we want the girl.'

The hair on the back of my neck started prickling. How did he know about Leah? And why did he call the vampire by his name? If, as Carlisle had said, the werewolves were the enemy of the vampires, why would Aro have given this wolf information about Leah? And why would this werewolf be so casual with Aro's name?

The tall werewolf lunged at me, but I was able to jump up and over him before the wolf could even touch me. I landed on his back and wrapped an arm around his neck…that is when his scent hit me: he smelled like a vampire. I paused momentarily in shock…just long enough for him to break free. He curled his legs and kicked me. I landed on one of the courtyard's walls, some 20' from where I had been. The vampire-werewolf ran towards me as I jumped up and over him, landing on his back again. I bit into his shoulder and ripped off one of his arms. The wolfman stood up then jumped and crashed, landing on his back and pinning me down in the process. Wolfman stood up and was about to step on me when I swung my legs behind his feet and tripped him. An angry snarl rose from his mouth. I grabbed his remaining arm, ripped it off and threw it next to his other arm. Wolfman was screaming so loud that the other wolves ran to the back of the courtyard, cowering in a corner.

'Who are you?' I snarled at wolfman, but he didn't respond. 'I don't have to kill you…just answer my questions. You obviously have some kind of vampire gift…what are you? How have you been able to walk among wolves and none of them notice a difference in you?'

'You really don't think I will answer you, do you?' He sneered. 'You are nothing…you deserve nothing. Even if you do kill me, my master's plan will still work. You will die…so will your friends…so will…you call her Nessie, right?. I can't wait to torture the girl. May have a bit of fun with her before I kill her. The boy you know as Justin talks about how beautiful she is. He wanted to make her his mate…until he saw Leah, that is.'

That was all it took for me to decide to quit playing with him. I pounced on his back and twisted his head, throwing it in the small pile of body parts in the center of the courtyard.

I could hear the werewolves in the back of the courtyard. I felt their fear and heard their scared voices. I motioned for the wolves to come to me. Slowly they made their way to me…too slowly. 'Come here, now!' They all picked up speed and were next to me in just a few seconds.

'Ok. This werewolf is actually a vampire…did none of you pick up the sickly, sweet smell of him?' I didn't get a verbal response, just feelings of confusion. Great. Just my luck…I would spend more time teaching the werewolves how to destroy vampires than I would planning an escape.

A jumble of voices hit me at once, as did their feelings of fear and confusion. These guys were driving me crazy. They didn't have a unified mentality whatsoever…I would not be able to get anything accomplished until these wolfmen learned to communicate and work together. Since I could already hear all of their voices, I assumed that I was their Alpha.

'Silence!' Growling met my ears, voices of complaints and feelings of anger assaulted my senses.

A wolfman made his way to the front of the wolves. He crouched low, as if to attack me. His voice rose louder than the rest of the wolves. 'You are no alpha.' He leapt in the air, heading my direction. I caught his leg and pulled him back down as I twisted his leg. The bone broke easily in my hands. Strange…I would have thought the 'real' werewolves would be just as strong, if not stronger, than my pack. The wolf shrieked in agony.

'Look, I don't want to hurt any of you, but you have to listen to me. There is not time for division among us. We need to work together if we are going to get out of here alive.'

The wolves had been backing away from me while I talked to them. This was getting ridiculous. 'Stop.' All of them stopped backing away and sat down.

The wounded wolfman was still screaming. 'Silence.' That finally shut him up. I had definitely become the Alpha for these wolves. The alpha command was working on all of them. I turned to the injured wolf and realized that he wasn't healing.

'Don't you heal?'

A painful cry of 'No!' sounded in my head. 'I will try to fix your leg when I phase back to human. It depends on how much time we have…the blood suckers could be back at any time.'

A myriad of voices blasted me: how do I phase, can I do it at will, do I heal, can I teach them to phase, etc.

'Enough! I can answer your questions if there is time. We need to figure out what is going on with the vampires. Do any of you know why you were brought here?'

The werewolves answered me…all at once. At least I could differentiate the wolves answers now.

'We are together so that we can kill a clan in the US. Then we will be freed.'

'And you believe that?'

'Of course.'

I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes. These werewolves were not as strong as my pack, they didn't heal like my pack did, and they all appeared to be a few French fries short of a happy meal. How could they be so trusting and naive?

'I met the Volturi several years ago. They wanted me and my pack brothers to serve them as guard dogs. I believe that you will never be free. You will be used just as Aro and the other vamps wanted to use my pack. And about the clan you are supposed to kill…is it the Cullens? They are a family NOT a clan.'

The wolves were surprised that I knew what family was to be killed. 'Did they tell you anything about me? Or about my brothers?'

'No.' Oh good…they had learned to speak in unison.

'How did the vamps find you?'

Another barrage of answer hit me at the same time. Must have been an accident when they answered my other question at the same time. I resisted the urge to yell at them.

'Silence.' The answers stopped instantly. 'How do you guys function with everyone talking at the same time? In my pack, we take turns speaking. That way, all the linked minds can have the same knowledge as the other wolves. Can you guys determine which wolf says what?'

A collective 'No' followed by silence caused my eyes to roll again. 'I don't expect everyone to have the same opinions and the same suggestions, the same answers…I just expect each of you to take turns talking.'

A short werewolf stepped forward timidly. 'We have never heard each other's thoughts before you came.'

Now it was my turn to be dumb founded. A whimper from the big wolfman caused me to look at him. 'You can speak now.'

'We can hear each other because of you. You are our Alpha.'

Please let me know what you think…I had a hard time writing the fight scene…

Thanks for reading!


	19. Chapter 19 Meeting, Werewolf Style

**Without a beta again…sorry for any mistakes!**

**A Werewolf Meeting**

I phased back to my human form and began working on fixing the injured wolf's leg. I wish Carlisle was here…or maybe a vet. I grabbed a branch off of one of the trees in the courtyard and made a stint for his leg. And since I hadn't taken off my clothes before I phased, I was able to take strips of cloth and secure the branch on his leg. I stepped back and looked at him. I did a pretty good job, if I say so myself.

I hope I can find some clothes before I have to see Jane again. I already feel like she is picturing my body naked…I don't want to even think about what she might do if I really was naked.

The werewolves started whimpering and backing away from me. I phased so that I could find out what was wrong.

'Dude! What is going on? Who is with you?'

'Seth! Where are you?'

'Jacob! What are you doing? Where is Jane? Have you talked to Leah about Jane?

'Ness, I don't know where Jane is. I haven't seen her since I was put in the courtyard at the bloodsuckers' castle. Has Leah been with Jane?'

'Yes…and you wont believe what she told Jane. She said you were in love with Rosalie!'

'What?'

'My sister was worried about Nessie, Jake, so calm down before you see her. Jane took Leah from Sam and Embry so she could question her about you. She zapped Leah a few times before Leah decided to give her Rosalie's name. Leah thinks Jane is in love with you and will try to get rid of anyone that stands in her way.'

I shuddered when Seth told me that. Makes sense, though. I knew she had a soft spot for me, but..ew! I didn't want to think…love. Would she see Nessie as an obstacle? I can understand Leah telling Jane that Rosalie and I love each other. Nessie would never be able to fight Jane. Even though she does have some a few good fighting defenses, she would be no match against Jane.

'Seth, tell Rosalie I can't wait to give her a big kiss.'

'Jacob, it's not funny! I can –'

'Baby, I love you, but I am worried about what Jane could do to you. Why don't you wait at a hotel or something? When we are free, we could come get you and then go home.'

'But Jacob! I can –'

'No, babe. You can't…at least not with Jane. I need to know that you are safe. It's going to be dangerous enough without me worrying about your safety.'

'But Jake –'

I watched Nessie being pulled into Edward's and Bella's arms through Seth's eyes.

"Nessie, Jacob is right. We need you to stay in the hotel. We will come get you when it's over."

"But Daddy! I need to save my Jacob!"

"Nessie…" Bella laid her hand on Nessie's cheek. "I can't bear to think of anyone hurting you – especially Jane. She would be able to viciously attack you before you could even get within arms reach of her."

"But Mom! I have to try! I need to save my Jacob!"

"Let us handle it, sweetie. I promise we will save your Jacob."

"This isn't fair! You went to Volterra to save Daddy when you were still human. I am part vampire. I can fight –"

"No, Nessie. It was different then. Your mom –"

"No it wasn't! Mom went to save you and now I am going to save my Jacob."

"Young lady, I said no." Edward yelled at Nessie. Tears were rolling down Nessie's face. I hated seeing my imprint so upset…I wanted to comfort her, but there was no way I wanted her trying to fight. I was glad Edward and Bella were on my side about this. Bella pulled Nessie in her arms, trying to comfort her. I trusted that Bella would take care of Nessie and quickly replayed everything that had happened in the last few hours, from the walk with hidden vampires, to the last moments with the werewolves so that Edward could help form some type of plan for getting out of Volterra and back to La Push.

"Jacob, something isn't right…the werewolves should be as indestructible as you. And why didn't they know a vampire was with them?"

'I was amazed when I broke the leg of this wolf.' I looked at the leg I had just mended so that Edward could see it. 'As far as the shape-shifter, I never smelt vampire until I was on top of him. Same with Justin, too. Maybe shape shifters can alter their smell, too. I watched Edward turn to Carlisle.

"Carlisle, can shape shifters alter their scent?"

"I don't know. Justin is the first shape shifter vampire I have seen or even heard about."

'When we were in the meadow in Forks, Justin was very strong…but the one I killed here was much more weak. He got in a few good hits, but I took him out with very little effort.'

'Was he maybe a copy of the real Justin? Maybe the copy doesn't have as much strength as a united shape shifter?' Nessie's voice was stronger. I could still hear the tears in her voice, but the they were beginning to subside as the strength in Nessie was gaining.

'There were 5 Justins in the meadow…and they were all strong. We were getting our butts kicked. If I hadn't left with him…Nessie, the family was getting torn up…and you know how tough Emmett and Jasper are…Edward, is it possible that the strength of the copies of Justin is dependent upon how close the real Justin is? If the original Justin is in La Push, would he be able to have a copy of himself this far away? And would that copy be weak?'

"I don't know Jacob…If you are right, it would explain how you easily defeated the 'werewolf' vampire."

'Seth, have you called anyone in La Push since you made it to Italy?'

'Not yet. I wanted to check on you first.'

'Ok…call my dad and ask when he last saw Sam. Find out if Justin is still impersonating Sam. But Seth, make sure you speak to my dad and no one else. If Justin is still in La Push, he could phase as anyone…though I doubt he would phase to a man that was bound to a wheelchair.'

'I will.'

After a few minutes, I lost Seth, so I knew he had phased.

'Jacob…do you have any clothes to put on when you phase back to human?' Nessie asked softly. She sounded a bit territorial.

'Nope. My last pair of shorts and boxers shredded when I phased in the court yard.'

'What are you going to do about clothes?'

'I don't know babe. I do NOT want to phase and meet up with Jane, though!'

'She better not even try to -. Wait a minute…Seth is coming back over here and he looks like something is wrong.'

I watched as Edward's jaw dropped. That did not bode well! I have never see Edward's jaw drop.

'Jacob! Seth is on the phone with Paul. He says that Paul just said Billy phased into a wolf!'

'What? No way! Paul has to be Justin and is lying. Why would my dad phase now? Vampires have been on our land since you were born…I wouldn't have thought one shape shifter would trigger another phasing. So why would Dad phase now? Is there a greater danger than we realized?'

"Jacob, if Billy is afraid you are dead, would the grandson of Ephraim Black phase so that the alpha of the tribe would be a Black?" Edward's question sunk in as I thought about my dad and the many histories he had told us at the bonfires.

'I just don't know, Edward. Sam was the alpha long before I phased…"

"But Billy knew that you would eventually phase."

Thinking my dad was afraid I was dead added to the long list of things I needed to take care of. I have got to get out of this place and back to my people.

'Nessie, have Seth tell Paul to have Dad phase back. Then we can ask him a question that only someone in my family could answer.'

After a few seconds, Nessie responded. 'Paul says that Billy can't phase back. The shape shifter has been destroyed and burned so the threat has left the rez, but Billy still can't phase back. Rachel has been trying to calm him down.'

'Rachel is there? Tell Seth to talk to Rachel. Have him ask her what the biggest fish Dad ever caught was.'

After a few seconds, a puzzled Nessie said, 'Your mom, Jacob. What does that mean?'

'It means my dad is a werewolf.'


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

About Shape-Shifters…

I am so sorry it has been so long! I have been going through treatments for migraines, having migraines, and trying to work on my thesis all while trying to keep up with my youngest son. Life is hectic! I have 2 more chapters that I will post this week…then the Twilight gang will be heading back to Forks/La Push. Thank you so much for sticking with me! BTW – no beta.

**Last chapter recap**: Jacob is still in the courtyard with the shape shifters. He is in his wolf form, so he is speaking with Nessie. Edward is listening to Jacob, through Nessie. Jacob has learned that his father has phased for the first time and is unable to phase back. Seth, talking to Paul on the phone, told Jacob that Justin was killed in La Push. FYI: thoughts of Jacob and Nessie will be in italics.

Jacob POV

'Nessie, have Seth ask Paul when Justin was killed and if they are positive he is dead. I looked at the limbs of the shape shifter I had just killed. 'Maybe this thing was killed so easily because Justin had been killed in La Push. Edward, could a shape shifter be killed the same way as a vampire? Is the shape shifter even considered a vampire?'

"I don't know Jacob. And I don't know if shape shifting is a vampire 'gift' or if shape-shifters are just another part of the immortal world. Unfortunately, we have no idea how to find and contact a shape-shifter. Obviously Aro's plan for the family includes the use of a shape shifter, but we have no idea what role they will play. What is really upsetting is that we may not recognize family from shape-shifter when we have to meet with them in a battle – if it comes down to that. Seth said that Justin terrorized Emily's and Sam's kids and that he beat Emily severely. She never even suspected that Justin wasn't actually Sam. Assuming – "

'Wait a minute, Edward! Did you say that Justin beat Emily?'

"Yes. Seth said they had to take her to the emergency room. My point is, that Emily should have recognized that Justin wasn't Sam. I thought the imprinting would have allowed her to see through Justin and know something was wrong. His smell, his body temperature, they way he treated her and the kids…she had no clue that it wasn't Sam. And what about the pack in La Push? Why wouldn't the wolves have realized it? Of course, none of us picked up his scent when we fought Justin in the meadow, none of us recognized his scent. Even Bella didn't detect him." Edward fell silent, waiting for Jacob's response.

I saw Bella's face through Nessie's eyes. I could tell by looking at her that she was blaming herself. Nessie must have thought that, too.

"Mom, no one blames you! Your shield may not even work against shape-shifters! The entire family was in the meadow and no one suspected. And me and Jacob sat next to Justin in school – neither one of us had a clue that he wasn't a regular student!"

I watched Edward pull Bella into his arms and press a kiss on the top of her head. Nessie's gaze fell to her hands and I realized she was shaking. 'Nessie, are you crying?'

She sniffed and tried to answer me. If our minds had not been linked, I wouldn't have understood her – she was crying to hard. Nessie was thinking about her favorite memories of the two of us together since she was born, but instead of it being a comfort to her, I could feel her fear. She was afraid that she would never be able to add more memories of the two of us. I watched the images for a bit and thought of how much I loved her.

'Nessie, I promise I will – ' I stopped short of my sentence when it finally dawned on me – the long hallway on the way to this courtyard: the vampires that lined the walls and attacked me when I tried to warn the humans. I didn't detect a scent until they were on top of me. Surely they were shape shifters! The same thing with the vampire/werewolf in the courtyard – no scent until I was on top of him.

Edward interrupted my thoughts that were flowing to Nessie. "Jacob, did they all look the same? Like when we were in the meadow with Justin?"

'I don't know. It was too dark to see their faces. The only thing I can tell you is that Aro was quite pleased with them. We need to form a plan of attack that will include some way of us knowing that we are family and not substitute shape shifters. This isn't going to be an easy escape.'

Nessie turned her head and looked at Carlisle. I couldn't hear him, but Nessie's heart sped up as she turned back to Edward.

'Nessie? Baby, I couldn't hear Carlisle. What did he say?'

"Jacob, did you burn the pieces of the shape shifter?" Nessie asked.

'Not yet. I've been busy with the werewolves and I don't exactly carry matches with me.'

Nessie must have rolled her eyes – not a great thing to do when considering that I am actually looking through her eyes. 'Can't you rub sticks together and make a fire?'

'No!' It was my turn to roll my eyes. 'Students on the rez don't learn how to rub sticks together to make fire until their senior year in high school.' We both rolled our eyes.

"Jacob," Edward interrupted us. Look at the creature you just killed."

I glanced over. 'Crap…he's not there.' I ran to the spot I had thrown him and didn't see anything resembling a vampire – but I did see ants. They were moving slowly, forming a line heading towards the lone tree in the center of the courtyard. I quickly phased back to human and grabbed a long strip of cloth from my shredded shirt. I gathered all of the ants in the cloth and then folded the cloth securely, so that the ants could not escape. I took another piece of cloth and folded it over the ant cloth, forming a very small pocket. I placed the ant cloth into the pocket and covered the opening of the pocket with the outside corners of the cloth. I flattened the pocket and hoped that smothering this shape shifter would end its life. I placed the pocket on the ground and then phased.

'Jacob? What happened? Are you ok? Jacob?" Nessie's thoughts were panicked.

'It's ok. I am fine. I THINK I killed the shape shifter. This time. I can't burn him/she/it, until I get back in the castle. I hope I can keep the pocket in my paw! No pockets…and no clothes. I have to stay a wolf until I can get more clothes.'

'Poppy doesn't think fire alone will kill the shape shifters.'

A sense of foreboding washed over me. I was fairly certain I knew why we would have a difficult time destroying the shape shifters - even with fire.

'Fire wont kill the shape shifter?' I waited for Carlisle's response.

Edward answered me. "Carlisle thinks that if the shape shifter can change his form before the fire completely burns it, the shape shifter can escape. It could become an insect and escape without anyone actually realizing he is gone."

I felt like ice ran through my blood as my lips curled back, showing my teeth. The werewolves in the courtyard started backing away from me.

'Like the ants I just scooped up. Edward, Justin could still be in La Push and no one knows!'

Please review!


	21. Chapter 21

AN: Hello everyone! Yes, I am alive! The migraines have gotten quite a bit worse…I had 6 HOURS between migraines a few weeks ago. I am trying out another preventative and am praying that will take care of the problem. The pain hasn't been all that bad the last 2 weeks, so that's a good sign! I also wanted to mention that the glare from a computer screen hurts my head, so I hand write my chapters and then type on the computer. So, I may have 5 or 6 chapters that are done, but aren't typed. I have a new computer and can control the brightness of the computer screen…hopefully I will be able to update more often! Thank you so much for being patient with me!

Here is a short preview for the rest of the book: there will be a definite shake up in the hierarchy of the Volturi, Jane plays a huge part in the escape plans, Rosalie and Jacob put on a show for Jane.

This is a short chapter!

**La Push – Paul's POV**

I kept trying to take the phone from Rachel so I could talk to Seth, but she wouldn't let go of the phone. She kept swatting my hand every time I would get close to it. I could have forced it from her, but since she has a bit of a temper, I decided to leave her alone and just listen. For a bit.

"Seth, where is my brother?" Rachel asked. "What is happening in Volterra?" Her voice had a distinctive panicked sound to it.

Thank goodness I had wolf ears – I could hear Seth's answers. "He is..uhm…ok for the most part. Better than he was. Don't worry Rachel, we will have him soon. So..listen, I need to talk to Paul, but I need to be absolutely certain that it's Paul. Are you positive that its him and not the shape shifter?"

Rachel didn't hesitate. "Of course it's Paul! The shape shifter is burning in the field behind Sam and Emily's house. Is Jacob hurt? What's wrong with him? I can tell by how you answered my question that something is wrong…is he really ok? What about Leah and Embry…are they ok? Do you know where Sam is?"

"Jake was treated pretty badly, but he is ok now. I've talked to Leah and she said that she, Embry and Sam are fine. We are trying to plan an escape for them. Try not to worry Rachel…they will all be home soon. Can I talk to Paul now?"

I had the phone in my hand before Seth even finished asking for me. Rachel walked back to Billy. "Daddy, Seth says that they are all ok. They will be home soon…all safe and sound. Maybe if I repeat that often enough, we can both believe it."

Rachel buried her head in Billy's shoulder and dissolved into tears. I wanted to pick her up and wipe her tears away. It kills me to see my imprint hurting. I felt Rachel's pain as if it were my own, but I knew that I had to push through it and figure out what to do to get Jake back. "Seth, what is going on? The Sam that was in La Push was definitely a shape shifter. Is Sam in Volterra with Jake? Have you seen him and Leah and Embry?"

"Only through Jake's eyes." Seth answered. "Jake says Sam has been in Volterra as long as he has."

"Quill told us about Justin after we killed what we thought was Sam."

Seth's voice was tense when he asked, "Is the shape shifter still burning?"

I looked outside. "Yes." The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I felt my lips pull away from my teeth. I was afraid that I knew exactly why Seth wanted to know if the shape shifter was still on fire. "Why?" I quickly walked to the pyre, getting more anxious the closer I got.

"Paul, go check out the fire. Carlisle doesn't think fire alone will kill him. See if the shape shifter is still in the fire."

I tramped on the fire with my feet and never felt the body of the shape shifter. Despite the warm feet, a cold chill ran up Paul's spine. "Seth, there isn't anything in the fire."


End file.
